MANY years ago, girls of 12 or 13 wore short white socks and played with dolls. Most of their sex education came from older siblings or peers and, rarely, from their parents.

In the rapidly-changing world of today, parents are more open about sex and their own sexuality, so that children grow up very quickly.

The 12 to 13-year-old girls of today are quite sophisticated in their sexual knowledge, but not in sexual relationships. Giving them even more explicit information is hardly likely to prevent pregnancies.

Children will experiment, and often have the role model today of parents who meet someone new one day and are in bed with them the next.

TV and videos bombard us with these scenarios, as though sex is a new invention and they are selling the product. What message does this send out to children - that sex is just a physical act to do with anyone you fancy?

What about a wonderful union of love between a man and woman? No one mentions love.

I don't think we could go back to the days of telling girls to wait until they are married, but some moral restraint from parents and schools should be taught.

A child's innocence should be nurtured and protected, as, when lost, it is gone forever. Society should not try to make them into adults too soon.

KATHLEEN BULCOCK (Mrs), Wilkie Avenue, Burnley.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.