beastmaster

My childhood was *extremely* sexual. I have no idea what people mean by childhood innocence.

I've been masturbating as long as I can remember. I've certainly had that tingle down there since before my first memories.

My first sexual experience was at age 4, with another boy. Maybe he was abused by an adult and learned about sex that way -- I don't know. One day he pulled down his pants and later he reciprocated for me. On many more occasions we engaged in oral sex.

I had vaginal intercourse with my step-cousin at age 7 (and again with her at age 12).

I had vaginal intercourse with a neighbor girl, also at age 7.

I had many other sexual experiences, from French kissing to dry humping with at least two other girls (that I remember off hand), all before Junior High.

I would think I were a freak of nature but for the fact that I encountered so many other pre-adolescent children who were as interested in sex as I was. Sex talk was common and interest in sex was natural, not learned.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, I found that puberty *repressed* all this free expression of sexuality.

Suddenly, sex became serious business, not play. The girls clammed up sexually. Everyone became awkward and embarrassed. I did not find adolescence to be a sexual awakening, but a long cold spell.

Talulah

Ok. That is something for me to think about.

When I was a kid, I am not even sure it occured to me to do anything like that, short of 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' with my brother. He said it was nasty, so I was even more inclined to keep it to myself.

I am fairly sure that the desire to engage in a sexual act didn't cross my mind until about 12-13. Before that, sex was just something abstract that I understood but didn't desire. (maybe because I was trying to envision myself with a man) I viewed my body as separate from that, if that makes any sense.

Loren Pechtel

STD's. Unwanted pregnancy. The real world isn't only good, there are bad things that are mixed in.

Bluefire211

And ALL of those things are easily preventable with proper education. Education that I did not receive from my school much to my dismay, but thankfully my parents had quite fully informed me on everything I would need to know quite a few years before that, and continually offer their support should I ever need any.

I feel that the only reason there is a general taboo of sex is that religion has made it so.

Over and out,
Bluefire211

VivaHedone

The shame and taboo that we surround sensual pleasure, not just sex, is one of the greatest evils ever perpetrated upon mankind. Think of all those lives over the years, each one a wondrous symphony of senses and thoughts, turned into drab wastelands of 'purity' and shame by religion, sustained only by false, desperate hope and by needless fear. It is without logic and without reason that religion has portrayed pleasure as some sort of evil temptation from Satan - only by appreciating the marvel of life can one gain some idea of the momentous scale of this crime against humanity.

Mad Kally

I was shown a book from the library when I was real young, six or seven years old. I thought that if you had to have a man put that thing in my vagina I would never do it. The thing that horrified me was that a baby was supposed to come out through that opening. I made faces and then I said, "Can I go outside and play now?" I wasn't the least bit interested. I don't think I thought about sex again until maybe age 13 or 14. Could there be a difference in male and female reaction to childhood sexual experiences?

Amen-Moses

Statistically there probably is although I never seemed to have any problems finding sexually aware girls my own age when I was growing up.

I think the main difference is that boys are taught to place girls on a pedestal, i.e all those fairy stories about sleeping princesses and having to go kill ogres to even get a kiss!, so it is far more usual for boys to explore with other boys (at least until they become aware that "poof" is a derogatory term).

I remember that around 8-10 comparing erections was almost a sport but by the time we reached 13 or 14 we would die rather than admit to even being aware that the other boys in the changing room had a penis!

(I'll tell you a secret, men in changing rooms DO check out the competition, purely out of scientific interest you understand, even if they wouldn't dare admit it. )

Amen-Moses

Mad Kally

hahahaha.. I'll tell you a secret. I'm still horrified at the thought of a big ole babies head coming out through that little opening! A penis seems to fit better.

Kally

Amen-Moses

At least you don't have to watch it happening!

Amen-Moses

pilaar

-----------------------------------
VivaHedone:
Sex is generally regarded as a good thing. Yet it is universally seen a
corrupting and harmful to the 'innocence' of children. Is it really
sexuality which destroys the 'soul capable of simple joys'? If so, then how?

Even if sexuality does destroy innocence, then does this mean that children
need 'protection' from it? Knowledge of sex is the not the same as
sexuality. Sexuality is caused by hormonal changes inside the body. So what
possible harm can knowing about, or even watching sex do to childhood
innocence?

I'd also be interested to hear from anyone with anything to say about any of
our other strange hang-ups and sense of shame about what is, really, a very
basic act of physical pleasure.
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I think that sexuality can harm the 'innocence' of the child only in
cases where another person uses the naivete, dependency and the trust of the
child to their own advantage and abuse the child sexually in whatever way.
Children do need protection from individuals like this, because it destroys
the child's trust in the world and in themselves etc.

I don't think that knowledge of sex is damaging to children, it is as natural as eating and drinking, they make a big deal out of it because they see the adults having so many issues with it.

The sense of shame which is connected with sexuality is passed down from generation to generation. Children learn very early in life that there is something wrong/taboo/prohibitive connected with genital area. These attitudes are learned from adults even before the baby can reason. Babies can read body language & facial expressions from the time they are born. Parents/carers influence the children by their own behaviour towards the baby's genital areas. Babies discover their own body parts in stages, adults don't have any reaction when the baby starts exploring his/her own arms, legs, noses etc. But it is a different story when they discover genitals and the pleasures associated with it. Many babies, especially females, take parents/carers attitudes on board, they take on the shame, learn to disassociate themselves from the genital area, they tend to disown it and not take responsibility & initiation for their own sexuality later in life, because they learned early in life that they are not supposed to own their own genitals, sexuality and pleasure. Same with masturbation, which is a natural exploration and enjoyment of ones body, as well as learning and practice for the future, but it has been made to prohibited in the past. And this also is passed down from generation to generation.

I think that one of the reasons for so many taboos being associated with sex & sexuality is because it served many legal purposes - inheritance of property etc.

pilaar