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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parents didn’t allow me to go anywhere except to<br />
house parties. By dating at this early age, I<br />
believe that I had a premature start at learning<br />
to meet people graciously <strong>and</strong> with poise.<br />
My mother... was quite perturbed when, in the<br />
sixth grade, I turned down my first date offer.<br />
I don’t think our sixth grade boys followed the<br />
normal pattern of not liking girls because all<br />
of us spent a great deal of time together after<br />
school <strong>and</strong> on weekends. The big romance of the<br />
sixth grade was between one of the boys <strong>and</strong><br />
me.... We naturally spent lots of time together<br />
at the boy-girl parties <strong>and</strong> at other times. He<br />
also took me on my first official date--doubling<br />
with another couple to the Saturday matinee.<br />
He <strong>and</strong> I developed a great deal of<br />
affection for one another, maybe “puppy love” is<br />
a better term, <strong>and</strong> it was quite sad when he<br />
moved at the end of sixth grade.<br />
My first date was when I was in the sixth grade.<br />
There were four couples who went to the Ice Follies<br />
by bus all alone. The whole time I was<br />
there I can remember being miserable because I<br />
wished I was with the girls instead of a boy.<br />
After the show we all went over to one of the<br />
girl’s houses for dinner <strong>and</strong> dancing. Again I<br />
repeated my performance of running away when my<br />
date asked me to dance <strong>and</strong> was actually cruel to<br />
him the whole evening. I guess I was not ready<br />
for a boy friend just yet, although since other<br />
girls were beginning to have them I wanted one,<br />
too.<br />
During these years (sixth through eighth grade)<br />
we used to sit with a special guy on the bus<br />
after basketball games. Going to the games all<br />
of the fellows had to sit in front of the bus,<br />
but going home things would change.<br />
Dating with me began in the seventh grade. It<br />
was a companionship relationship <strong>and</strong> usually<br />
consisted of riding our bikes, playing tennis,<br />
or going swimming with a bunch of other kids, or<br />
the gang would come to my house at night <strong>and</strong><br />
play group games such as hide-<strong>and</strong>-seek, starlight--moonlight,<br />
etc.<br />
My first paired dating was in the seventh grade.<br />
My friend called for me at home like a perfect<br />
gentleman, <strong>and</strong> gallantly escorted me to the car<br />
where his father sat patiently waiting. When the<br />
program was over, we waited in front of the<br />
school for his father to pick us up <strong>and</strong> take me<br />
home.<br />
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