Member-only story

I didn’t know bodies could do that

My unexpected sex education

Kate F
Generate Magic
4 min readMay 29, 2023

--

Image from the National Library of Medicine on Flickr

In fifth-grade, my best friend shared some scandalous news. It involved a book she found under her parents’ bed.

Naturally, I had to see this book for myself. The title was something like, “101 Positions.” You can probably guess what it contained.

I didn’t know bodies could do that, I remember thinking, half in fascination and half in horror, as we leafed through the pages. At the same time, I kept looking over my shoulder, mortified at the possibility of her parents, older stepsister, or God himself creeping up behind us.

I got another lesson in human anatomy while waiting for my dad in his fishing cabin. He occasionally let the teenage sons of family friends use the cabin, and the table was stacked with issues of Penthouse—which I took the opportunity to explore, of course, again with a combination of horror and fascination.

When I was in this general age range—10 to 12—I watched lots of movies I probably shouldn’t have, including Silence of the Lambs, Body Double, and all sorts of super violent action and horror movies—usually at the houses of friends whose TV-watching activities were less supervised than mine.

So, did I become a sex fiend, violent psychopath, or serial killer? Well, I think we can safely say…

--

--

Generate Magic
Generate Magic

Published in Generate Magic

By sharing my most personal, sometimes humiliating moments, I help you find humor in your pain and use your challenges to enhance your self-knowledge and empathy so you can feel less alone on your hero’s journey. Let’s celebrate ALL the emotions.

Responses (1)