Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce

As with the “weiner tickle,” there can be physical pleasure and
even erotic feelings without manual manipulation of the genitals.
As a child I (a boy) used to run around the
house nude and remember feeling released and set
free by doing this. This came closest to true
sexual feelings as I recognize it today. Running
around outside with few clothes on also
gave me a great feeling of release, I cannot
remember ever associating these feelings in anyway
to the genitalia.
Many times siblings, close to each other in age, become involved in
sex play with each other. This is most likely to be true when they
share a bedroom, and the rate is higher when they share the same bed.
(Finch, 1969, p. 65). Cuddling, fondling, and handling the genitals of
others of the same or opposite sex occurs frequently under conditions
of unsupervised play. Additional forms of sexual activity occasionally
include oral-genital contacts and attempted copulation with another
child.
Whereas the infant has very limited mobility, the child is able to
walk about and to play with others and is under less supervision.
Hence, he extends the range and increases the variety of sexual experiences.
Playing with siblings and neighborhood children, attending kindergarten,
and beginning grade school open up new possibilities for
encounters.
Kindergarten was curiously arousing in that I (a
boy) enjoyed sleeping next to girls on their
mats during rest periods.
In the second grade I seemed to have been popular
among the girls. During recess, I would tell
all the girls that wanted to kiss me to line up,
and would then proceed to kiss each one in turn,
giving those two or three that I preferred most
a kiss on the lips.
If begun early, masturbation continues at varying intervals
throughout childhood. The child eventually learns that in our society
masturbation is not to take place in public.
I (a boy) first masturbated at the age of seven,
as far as I can remember. I had no idea of what
I was doing or what it meant, but the feeling
was terrific. In view of the fact that masturbation
was so enjoyable, it served to make time
pass rapidly. Therefore, before the crushing
boredom of a second grade classroom would grip
me, I would swing my legs under my desk in a
fashion which would end in an orgasm. I knew not
what I was doing, but I may have embarrassed a
few teachers.
Erotic awakening is of two kinds, autoerotic and socio-sexual or
interpersonal erotic. Since Freud and Kinsey, if not before, we have
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