The child's initial attempts at masturbation are inspired in many instances by the observation of other children engaging in such activity or through deliberate instruction given by some older child or adult. In the following case, a boy found a way to stimulate himself by accident and then passed it on to his peers. According to Kinsey, these are the first sources of information for most males. (Kinsey, 1953, p. 107). The great majority of females who masturbate, on the other hand, learn to masturbate by discovering the possibility of such activity by themselves.
I called the experience the "weiner tickle" when
I spoke to others about it. It consisted of a
form of self stimulation that occurred when I
climbed up a pole in a swing set. The pole was
set at an angle such that the penis was stimulated
by rubbing against the smooth metal surface
during the climbing process. I discovered
this by accident and told certain of my friends
about it. They also proceeded to try the "weiner
tickle." It was thought to be great fun.
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.