Nurturing the Spiritual in Children's Sexual Development

Drawing on data from a small-scale study into the developing sexual values and attitudes of 35 nine and ten year-old children, this article examines evidence for and against the existence of a spiritual dimension to the sexual understanding of preadolescent children. The study identifies interesting connections between spiritual and sexual development, highlights significant gender differences and draws attention to the central role of adults as guides to children's developing values. The findings are thus rich in implications for both policy and practice in sex education.