Sexual Behavior: Learning About the Birds and Bees

Children through the middle and late childhood years continue to masturbate, engage in heterosexual and homosexual contact, enjoy displaying their genitals and seeing those of other children, and sometimes even attempt intercourse. Prepubescence is the age of sexual discovery; most children learn about adult sexual behaviors such as inter­course at this age and assimilate cultural taboos and prejudices concerning unconven­tional sexual behavior. For example, it is at this age that children (especially boys) first begin to use sexual insults with each other, questioning their friends’ desirability and/or sexual orientation. Both boys and girls at this age tend to play in same-sex groups and learn about sexuality in their discussions with each other (Lorber, 1994). As children enter the later years of preadolescence, frequency and sophistication of sexual activity often increases.