Thanks to the book Love and Life for Teenagers given to us during confirmation I learned the details plus facts from my more knowledgeable peers. Sex education is sometimes a part of the program of other adult- sponsored organizations such as the Scouts, Campfire Girls, and others. I received no sex education at all at home. I was quite amazed and fascinated when a nurse came to a Girl Scout meeting in the fifth or sixth grade and told us about the menstrual cycle.
Literature
One indirect method utilized by adults in teaching about sex is
through literature. Adults unable to speak openly about sex have found
this to be one method of fulfilling what they regard as their obliga
tion to provide sex instruction. Sometimes such literature is adequate
and is appreciated. In other cases it is not. Frequently, of course,
sex literature not approved by adults falls into the hands of the
young.
Misery likes company, so I (age twelve), teamed
with an equally as ignorant friend, consulted
some paperbacks that she had found in her dad's
drawer. One of the stories was about a married
woman who wanted to become pregnant. When her
husband objected, she went to her neighbor who
was her previous boyfriend, and asked him to be
the father. This man said he was ready anytime,
all she had to do was let him know by biting the
tip of his tongue when he thrust it into her
mouth. Aha, I thought, now I know how a boy lets
you know he wants intercourse-he'll just thrust
his tongue into your mouth.
(Five years later) I was infatuated with my
date, very tired and quite intrigued at the idea
of making out. So when he landed his first kiss
and thrust his tongue into my mouth-oh, God,
no, I thought, he wants intercourse!!! I pushed
him away and escaped into the night. It was
embarrassing later when my girlfriends told me
that you exchanged tongues to French kiss!!
I don't know why but I always had funny feelings
inside whenever we looked at them (preadolescent
girl looking at her father's sex
literature on the sly with her adolescent
brother).
The very fact that they hid the magazines
that contained pictures of nude or semi-
nude girls meant it wasn't 'good' or 'nice.'
While his parents were gone we (eleven years
old) proceeded to go into his parents' bedroom
and opened the bedside cabinet to pull out the
most recent publications of Playboy. This was
the first time I had ever seen the magazine in
the open sense.
We proudly gazed at the naked
beauties and gasped at the size of their
breasts. Both of us began to raise huge erections....
Later on, when we decided to go to
bed, we thought we better look at them once more
and maybe we could dream about them.... We again
achieved an erection.... My friend was greatly
amazed at the size of my erection and asked me
if he could touch it. I told him yes and afterwards
I felt very bad and remembered that I had
heard that when another boy plays with your
penis he is queer.