Can we talk about porn?

[Disneyphile]

Overall, I think it's important to let kids of age know that their feelings and desires are ok.

I know for a fact that condemning a teen boy for wanting to look at boobies can cause some really bad problems in their adult life.

It's important for them to not feel ashamed of normal behavior.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Hmmmm...
I tend to agree with Euro on this.

It is entertainment that's not for kids, granted. I think shoving it under the bed (so to speak ) isn't a healthy thing for kids. I think it falls under the subject of Birds and the Bees sort of thing. It's an individual parental issue and how they believe thier child should be exposed to it. It seems when alot of us where younger and in that age-range of curiosity, it was a bit more innocent. Meaning, Playboy was a bunch of women in relcined positions. Today, with the internet you get everything to every extreme and I think that changes the playing field quite a bit.

[€uroMeinke]

It does and it doesn't. Things are more explicit, to be sure - but that doesn't necessarily make them more "erotic." It's very easy to satify the curiosity of what the other gender looks like to the greatest detail. I think it may even be more enlightening as to what other folks find arousing. I think the proliferation of amatuer porn is great, if nothing else to show people with non-porn star bodies enjoying sex. On the other hand, it often makes things sillier, or demystifies certain things, or at least puts them to the test.

I recently saw a video involving a woman with a tongue piercing, which is supposed to enhance oral sex. In the video, she eventually removes the jewlery, which seems to have a penchant for attracting loose pubic hairs. I imagine someone viewing this video might have second thoughts about getting his/her tongue pierced.

[blueerica]

LOL GD.

I tend to agree with what's been said in this thread so far. I remember sneaking into my stepfather's trunk, and finding old Playboy and Penthouse magazines. I'd look, I'd read. I'd get some of the humor from the little cartoons. I'll never forget one that dealt with transvestites and sexuality. "Eat, drink, and be Mary." I giggled at 7. I also couldn't figure out why their pubic hair was so... differently shaped.

My mom was honest about a lot with me. I knew what a homosexual was, and my mom never pressed anything on me, but I knew that no matter what I was going to be okay, and accepted by my mom. The sexual... 'issues'... I have stem more from my step-father. He was emotionally and later physically abusive. If any boys were talking to me, I was a 'whore' and he would insult my appearance... I'd be 'fat' and what-not. That certainly shaped my self-image.

Hmm, but to get back on point, I think being aware is a good thing. You can't really restrict, but you can guide. Do other parents need to know about it? Hmm... maybe you can just get a couple of copies of a nice Playboy and leave it somewhere to be found. I, too, worry about porn sites that are available today. The other day, someone linked me to some pterodactyl porn. Yes, really. Pterodactyl porn. (If you're that curious, PM me - I can get the link to you by Monday). It was pretty stupid to me, but - once I start considering the implications, we're talking about some weird kink. Sexuality and its expression are good things.

I'm sure I have more to say, but need time to consider the points.

[lashbear]

My Favourite Song...

(I'm not going to say NSFW because you're viewing a thread about PORN for god's sake !!)

[Prudence]

Two thoughts so far:

1) I had an *extremely* sheltered childhood and still ended up a "deviant." I did see any porn until it was much, much too late.

2) So many people act horrible aghast the porn exists anywhere, because think of the chiiiiiiiiildren - yet they dress their daughters in cropped shirts that say "slut" and don't see anything odd about that.

[SacTown Chronic]

Originally Posted by Prudence

1) I had an *extremely* sheltered childhood and still ended up a "deviant."

It's my opinion as a parent (and a deviant) that the former leads to the latter more often than not. Not that I was sheltered, mind you. But most of the sheltered kids I knew went off the deep end at the first opportunity. Especially the ones who were "sheltered" from alchohol.

[CoasterMatt]

My first job out of high school was as an assistant to a porn editor...

But I was a born pervert/deviant/degenerate/Republican

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I had the interesting experience of being the youngest child by ten and twelve years. My mother has this "pre-wedding" talk she gives to the girls in the family, and all of the girls in the family are called to the meeting. So I was hearing rather vivid details of her "how to keep the romance alive" stories starting at age 11. Though not advocates of premarital sex, they were always very VERY (sometimes uncomfortably) open about the joys and blessings of a happy sexual relationship.

But even before that happened, I was already drawing the nude half of a woman connected to the bra ads in the paper. I was already drawing naked pictures of Fred from Scooby-Doo. (I sh t you not.) I have always been curious about sexuality, and I'm not sure if that's because they told me about human reproduction at age 3, or because I just have... insatiable curiosity.

Children are sexual; there's no denying it. They discover their bodies early on. But it's up to parents to teach them they are healthy in that curiosity-- AND to help guide them through their childhood slowly, not rushing it. The belly shirts and--I kid you not--vinyl pants I've seen on little girls just isn't healthy for their development.

[Moonliner]

Another issue I have with Internet porn is the sheer volume. I think there is something enticing about having just a bit of porn to look at. A few fond images to err, think about. Having 10's of thousands of images just seems wrong somehow at least for a beginner.

I expect I'll end up taking the direct route. Collect a few Playboys (I had no idea the direction penthouse had taken. bleh.) and just flat out give them to him.