Be heard on the issues that matter most to you!
...because public space really matters!
Elizabeth
It's a great question, and one that I can't help respond to...
I read in a book called "the story of V" of a woman having an ultrasound in France, and the technician and the woman watched the screen as the girl child masturbated for at least 20 minutes, well, she had a hand between her legs and was undulating as if in orgasm. The whole thing was on tape, and has answered the question, when does the sexuality of children begin? In the uterus!
If our sexuality begins that early, and continues to develope as we grow, what are we protecting our children from? For me, and my daughter, now 15, we have had a long, gentle on my part, unfolding of the sexual being that she is. Begining with her as an infant, just exploring her body, then as a toddler, enjoying her body, when I eventually had to educate her to create a private place for this enjoyment. I attempted to do this as respectfully as possible, trying not to convey that she was doing anything wrong, but that this kind of enjoyment of her own body, was just that, her own, and best private as it will upset the adults around her. What I felt VERY protective of was her freedom to explore herself without projection from the adult world. When adults see sexual acts we judge them with an adult mind, for me, when children see (or commit) a sexual act, they have a different perspective, usually quite innocent of judgement.
Our cultures pre-disposition to declare sexual nature a negative, dirty, suspect or.... the list goes on, and usually as long as the number of people representing the "culture" at the time... well, what I am trying to say is, monkey see monkey do, if we illustrate a balanced, respectful expression of sexuality around our children, then they have better chance of mimicking that. If we hide, or censor our environs (and good luck with that) we are condoning the negative projections... imho.
whew.. that was a longer wind than a I thought I had...
Enjoy your world! For it is yours!
May you be Blessed by the MoonBlood of the Goddess,
Whatever face she is wearing!
Belil of the Sumer.
www.sheriwinston.com is a wonderful site of a woman that has a beautiful perspective for women and men... check it out!
There is also an hour interveiw with Dr. Tonya Freeman and Sheri that covers heaps of places, including this moment of the child in uterus.
www.freewebs.com/mrnarchive/WisdomTalks.htm is where the conversation takes place.
Enjoy!
May you be Blessed by the MoonBlood of the Goddess,
Whatever face she is wearing!
Belil of the Sumer.
I read in a book called "the story of V" of a woman having an ultrasound in France, and the technician and the woman watched the screen as the girl child masturbated for at least 20 minutes, well, she had a hand between her legs and was undulating as if in orgasm. The whole thing was on tape, and has answered the question, when does the sexuality of children begin? In the uterus!
I've read of this, too, and although it has some really interesting implications, I'd be hesitant to jump to conclusions about whether it can be called "masturbating" at that early a stage. Sexuality has not only physical but psychological implications, and there's practically no psychology in a fetus, which is one of the whole points driving the pro-choice movements.
One thing I wonder about this whole topic is: if you're a parent, how can you raise sex-positive kids? There are both ethical and legal ramifications. Even if you ethically believe that your kids are ready to handle the details of mom and dad's BDSM sex play, there's only so much that you can tell them before it triggers alarms at Child Protective Services and your kids wind up in a foster home and you wind up in police custody. I can't cite specific cases off the top of my head, but there are some interesting examples of the results of hysteria in Judith Levine's Harmful to Minors. The approach that we have now -- of pretending that children are or should be asexual until their late teens (and presenting their parents as asexual) -- is clearly harmful, but there are very few models for people who want to take another path.
Blog: Literate Perversions
“Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then finally y
i think there is a huge difference between nudity, self exploration, witnessing sexual expression between adults and graphic and explicit representation of sexual acts between strangers.
i don't think even a 5-7 year old should be seriously protected from mom and dad having sex...excluded, yes..but if they were to walk in the bedroom to find mom and dad naked and engaged in sex, i think that would be an opening to a good discussion.
i would certainly agree that pornagraghic images and ones sexual practices should be kept discreet, indefinitely. i have 2 sons, 16 and 23 and i would never share my sexual material with them. not because i think they don't know what goes on or think i can protect them, i just feel it's not a subject i would discuss with them just like i wouldn't discuss it with my co workers.
somewhere in between those two scenarios is a big grey area....i think it's just a deal with it as it comes up, in way that feels comfortable for your family/child situation.
