In a number of these societies particular pains are taken to prevent offspring from accidentally observing sexual behavior. In some instances, as among the Murgin of Australia, boys are removed from the family dwelling to the boys' house or bachelors, house when they are four or five years old; this is done for the specific purpose of preventing them from witnessing sexual behavior at home. Cuna children are not even allowed to watch animals give birth. (Ford and Beach, 1951, p. 180).
Deliberate excitation of one's genitals is considered a perversion
by adults in many societies. In the past at least, the adults in the
United States have attempted to prevent preadolescents from engaging in
masturbatory activity. However, in a recent study (Abelson, Cohen,
Heaton, and Suder, 1970) 911 American men and 1370 American women were
asked how a parent should react to masturbation on the part of a twelve
or thirteen year old boy or girl. The results indicate that the adult
respondents were generally tolerant of preadolescent or early adolescent
masturbation. They would "discuss" or "discourage" rather than
"punish" or "forbid" it. Approximately one-fourth to one-half of all
male and female respondents indicated that they would "discuss" the
matter with the twelve or thirteen year old.
Other Adult-Sponsored Controls On the Sexual Encounters Of Preadolescents
Public Opinion and Sex Laws
Children, preadolescents, and adolescents encounter adults and
their sexual proscriptions through encounters with adult-molded public
opinion, laws, institutions, and various adult functionaries such as
the police. Public opinion in the United States has largely accepted
the Judeo-Christian restrictions on most sexual encounters outside of
marriage. No state makes it a criminal offense for an individual to engage
in self-masturbation, but two states (Indiana and Wyoming) consider
it to be a crime to encourage another person to masturbate.
Offenses that involve incest (the most common forms being father-
daughter or stepfather-stepdaughter and brother-sister) and offenses
that involve the use of force in obtaining sexual gratification are intensely
condemned by the public (as well as by their representatives
the police) in the United States. Though there is evidence that children
might in some cases be willing accomplices to the offense, or
might indeed be seductive, the onus is always on the adult offender and
pursuit by the police is vigorous. (Gagnon and Simon, March 1968).
The School
If parents or other adults are to be the source of the child's
first information on sex, they must give that information early or the
child will acquire his knowledge, such as it is, from experience and
from his companions. At the junior high school level (and occasionally
beginning as early as kindergarten), many communities are now sponsoring
sex education in the public school-on human sexuality, understanding
of self and one's feelings, personality development, and getting
along with others of one's own sex.
If sex education programs are intended
to counter the influence of peers and others they must begin in
the nursery school or kindergarten and continue through senior high
school. If a teacher of sex education is open and receptive, preadolescents
are quite open in asking questions. Questions range from "What is
a 'hoar'?", "Why do I feel excited when a boy puts his arm around me?",
"Is it all right to run around the house without any clothing?", to
"How could Mary give birth to Jesus if she didn't have intercourse with
Joseph?" (Avery, 1964, p. 35-36).