Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
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This was a world I did not underst<strong>and</strong>. A<br />
strange feeling accompanied all these adventures<br />
done as a group. My thoughts were centered<br />
on my girl in the group <strong>and</strong> how always to<br />
do the right thing in her eyes. I think we felt<br />
more like friends than anything else, but I knew<br />
what those older than I expected of us, <strong>and</strong><br />
group pressure finally won out. Coming home from<br />
a bus trip at night, I kissed her on the cheek.<br />
She didn’t dare look at me. I shuddered <strong>and</strong><br />
looked the other way. Not a word was spoken the<br />
rest of our trip.<br />
The next morning was like a hangover. Never<br />
had I had such a touch of conscience. I remember<br />
distinctly the argument that went on within<br />
me. I knew that someday I could look back on<br />
this incident <strong>and</strong> laugh but the hurt was strong<br />
<strong>and</strong> I knew it wouldn’t be today or tomorrow.<br />
The following case is a good example of how an “innocent” physical<br />
encounter for a preadolescent boy became the occasion for his sexual<br />
awakening, ushering in a whole new attitude toward girls.<br />
My awakening came one day when my girl cousin,<br />
who was four years older than I, <strong>and</strong> I were<br />
wrestling on the couch. She was in control <strong>and</strong> I<br />
soon found myself underneath her <strong>and</strong> was ready<br />
to privately acknowledge defeat. Suddenly she<br />
started showering kisses on my face. I protested<br />
with shouting <strong>and</strong> vows that I wasn’t<br />
going to st<strong>and</strong> for this situation any longer.<br />
She calmly said to be quiet or that our parents<br />
would hear. This continued for about five or ten<br />
minutes <strong>and</strong> I found my aversions to being kissed<br />
gradually declining. We kissed with mutual consent<br />
for perhaps five or six times with each<br />
kiss lasting about ten seconds. During the<br />
remainder of her visit, I avoided her. I would<br />
have liked to go back to the couch <strong>and</strong> her, but<br />
I was afraid to do it. I guess I wasn’t sure if<br />
I had done something wrong or not. I realized<br />
from that time on that I could never interact<br />
with a girl by treating her as a boy again. Mysteriously,<br />
I began to feel differently when I<br />
was around females than when I was near males.<br />
It was the first sexual encounter in which I was<br />
consciously aware of being a participant <strong>and</strong><br />
having sexual feelings. This first encounter<br />
seems “purer” in some sense because the sexual<br />
feelings sprang up in me without my having had<br />
any knowledge of human sexuality before it took<br />
place. Our later meetings were friendly, but the<br />
times when we would engage in rough play<br />
together were gone forever.<br />
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