I'm not convinced one way or the other.
But I am reminded that for many people in the world, even today, and definitely centuries ago, a one room house was all they had. The parents had whatever sexual relations they had in front of the children, because there was nowhere else to go. Privacy for bodily functions, for bathing, etc. was rare. And in agricultural societies, watching the mating of animals was nothing unusual. For centuries, in many societies children would marry as young as 11 or 12. In Greek culture, young boys openly had affairs with older men.
So through the centuries, knowledge of the nature of the human body, of both sexes, and of sexual relations was normal for young children. But we have made it taboo, for whatever reason.
Of course I wasn't involved, but I had friends who were sharing their fathers' Playboy issue pretty widely. Didn't seem to hurt them.
In general, knowlege which is not forbidden or circumscribed is seldom harmful, IMO. It is the making of it off limits, the secrecy, the calling it dirty, that makes it harmful.
IMO. |
