Man. I was born in 1967, raised in the prairies in Canada. Different world, indeed. I suppose the advancement in knowledge is continuing, too. That is, younger kids being more sexually aware. To some degree, it makes perfect sense, but when one sees parents putting vids on Youtube of their 7 year old girls dancing in miniskirts like Madonna in heat while showing off their Bratz dolls and title it 'aint she cute', one wonders when it will stop. Consiousness of ones sexuality without it being tempered by decency is just gross.
Do I wish a return to your environment until age 14? Heck no
. But nor do I feel happy or comfortable with the commercial sexualization kids seem to exhibit today. What is indicated by the present habit of boys dressing in shapeless bags that are marketed as 'clothes', while at the same time, being the most sexually knowledgable and (at least verbally) precocious kids in the history of mankind (ok, with some kind of exception for ancient greeks)?It seems to me, on the face of it, like it was all easier the way you were brought up, Slammr. But the bottom line is I think we both probably think we had perfectly good childhoods. So who's to say? I probably would have had less weird daydream/fantasies if I didn't know what to do with a boner until I was older.
Stefan from Canada