Quote:
Originally Posted by KewlDewd66
The part where I do not quite see the things in the same manner as the Slate author does is this one:
True, schools are neither prisons nor army barracks, and should not be FORCING their students to do anything that they expressly do not want to do. Yet, good educators will try to help each and every kid who upon reaching a certain age still has issues with using group showers and locker rooms to overcome.
|
Growing up being naked around other guys was thought of as "no big deal". My grandmother had a cottage so my cousin and I changed for swimming and saw each other all the time in the summer. Spend a few nights at Walt's you would see each other change. Jimmy's family had a pool - so I would go over and we would change for swimming. He and his older brother shared a room - when I saw him change it was like look at all the hair!!!!
Then came Junior High. Gym class was mixed grades 7 - 9 and showers were mandatory. They actually checked off our names as we got our towels. The teacher made it clear - not showering after gym was unhygienic, gross and smelly - and everyone would shower.
Sure it was awkward at first - being 7th graders some guys had not started puberty at all - I remember the first day we showered a good friend of mine where I was about 8 - 10 inches taller than him - well when it came time to shower I learned quickly that height does not equal development! There I was so much taller but he was much bigger and hairy.
The first few classes were very awkward, but it was almost like tearing a band aid off - better to do it quick and get it over with.
Sure I was nervous - afraid I would stare or get hard - but thankfully frequent masturbation - fear - and never washing below the waste kept that from being a problem. And when some guys did get hard no one gave them too much grief.
We just learned to deal with it and we "got over it". By 8th and 9th grade no one thought a thing about it except for some laughing about the hairless 7th graders trying not to be seen. But it was part of growing up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KewlDewd66
Reaching the age of 6 and HAVING TO go to school is very scary. Having to do your homework and pass the tests, and be possibly one of the less popular/successful kids in the class is VERY SCARY, too. If you adopt this point of view, practically every aspect of your life becomes scary to quite some extent. The chances are that if you keep nurturing this paranoid side of your personality, sooner rather than later, EVERYTHING will turn out to be scary albeit, to various degrees.
|
VERY true. I think if they somehow said "it is ok to be naked at 18 but not before" it would have been even more awkward - it makes it more of a "big deal" when in fact it is uncomfortable at first - but it is not something that will scar you for life.
A friend of mine teaches middle school - she talks about the STENCH of the kids after gym - they reek of AX body spray that the soak themselves in to cover up the perspiration - she was also talking about how many kids get busted "sexting" and how funny it is - the boy thinks nothing of taking a picture of his penis and sending it around for people to see - but if he was told he had to shower with the other boys he would freak.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KewlDewd66
At some point in time, we all ended up changing in common locker rooms, taking group showers, and some guys had more problems with it than the others. The few dudes who were on the shy side got quite a bit of help and support from their school buddies and friends, and couple of days into the process, all the shyness simply disappeared.
|
I hate to think that my gym teacher was right - but he was. You just got used to it.
Did showering together turn the boys in my gym class gay? Unfortunately not to my knowledge. Was it frustrating that they guy in the locker next to you had a bigger cock? Sure was. Is it frustrating that my neighbor has a bigger house? Sure is.
And life goes on.....