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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their mothers’ “stomachs” to be born.<br />
<strong>Child</strong>ren drew pictures showing that they were born in a baby carriage,<br />
glass case, under a stone, in a cabbage patch, or on a far off<br />
planet. One child who drew an outdoor scene said of it, “Before I was<br />
born I think I was a seed. And after I was born my father was at a ball<br />
game. And in the middle of the game my father came to the hospital <strong>and</strong><br />
I was there.” Many children today show hospitals <strong>and</strong> nurses <strong>and</strong> doctors<br />
in their pictures. Often the mother’s trip to the hospital was described<br />
as going to have an operation <strong>and</strong> get shots. The significant<br />
point is that, despite all the limitations of knowledge, each child had<br />
given thought to the subject <strong>and</strong> was willing to express himself. The<br />
pictures show that the inadequate answers given to questions about origins<br />
of babies <strong>and</strong> sexual anatomy <strong>and</strong> physiology today, as earlier, often<br />
result in misconceptions. The following two cases show why this is<br />
likely to be true.<br />
As about age six I was quite inquisitive as to why<br />
my parents had not had any babies before me. Questioning<br />
them on this point, I was informed that my<br />
father had been away from my mother in the service,<br />
<strong>and</strong> of course they couldn’t have any babies<br />
then. Puzzled, I asked why not, but my only answer<br />
was an indulgent smile <strong>and</strong> a knowing glance<br />
between them.<br />
The first question I remember asking about birth<br />
concerned my gr<strong>and</strong>mother, a widow. I wondered at<br />
about age five, why gr<strong>and</strong>ma did not have any more<br />
babies. It was my mother who answered me. She<br />
explained that a woman could not have a baby without<br />
a husb<strong>and</strong>. But still I wondered how a woman<br />
got a baby. Her answer, which seemed quite adequate<br />
for me at that time, was that the husb<strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> wife asked God for a baby. There was no mention<br />
of sexual intercourse, so I remained totally<br />
unaware of the man’s role in bringing babies into<br />
the world.<br />
An occasional, but only an occasional, young person today remembers<br />
having received a good grounding in sex from his parents during<br />
the childhood period.<br />
I was never told any of the popular myths such as<br />
the stork brings babies or that you buy them in a<br />
hospital. I thought it was strange that other<br />
mothers made up stories, <strong>and</strong> I think I felt more<br />
grown up because my mother told me the truth. I<br />
had one playmate that thought you bought babies at<br />
the hospital <strong>and</strong> I really thought he was dumb.<br />
The first time I remember my mother explaining<br />
anything to me I was no more than four or five<br />
years old, possibly right before or after my first<br />
brother was born. The details are very vague now,<br />
but I do remember her talking about the “egg” from<br />
the mother <strong>and</strong> the “sperm” from the father <strong>and</strong><br />
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