Commentary: 'Just Say No' approach leaves students unprepared to navigate decision making and healthy relationships

As parents we can look at how we create a culture of consent with our children.

In this Oct. 8, 2015, photo, Justin Pace reads along with classmates during a ninth-grade Teen Talk High School class at Carlmont High School in Belmont, Calif. Sex education in some American high schools is evolving beyond pregnancy and disease prevention to include lessons aimed at curbing sexual assaults. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Raising children these days is tricky. As parents we want to protect them from harm and support them in achieving their hopes and dreams. We know that even before puberty starts they are thinking about how their bodies compare to others in their peer group, if they have to give hugs and kisses to friends and relatives, or how to say yes or no to a cuddle or high five.