Gentlemen Buffistas, don't feel compelled to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, but do you recall at what age you started masturbating/thinking about girls/guys?

About 12/13. My parents barely acknowledged the existence of sex. So I had to use alternative means of finding things out. (Luckily, it was the '70s, and a curious youth could learn a lot just from bestselling fiction at the local library. I think I've said before that I learned a lot by reading The Godfather. And The People's Almanac was practically a sex ed course by itself.)

Are there stats on whether girls start masturbating before boys? I know fewer girls are supposed to wank than boys, but when's the average that either gender starts playing with their hands down their pants?

eta: The wikipedia article was useless. I don't mean the first self-orgasm. I mean when it starts to become a thing they consider doing for fun. A baby boy who discovers that pulling on his willy hasn't really *started* masturbating, per se, if he doesn't pick it up again until he's 10.

Gentlemen Buffistas, don't feel compelled to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, but do you recall at what age you started masturbating/thinking about girls/guys?

Very young... 6 or so. Not knowing what it was, just that it felt good, kind of thing. Although actual puberty was 13 or so. I never really found girls gross or full of cooties or what not. Kinda curious that given all that, I have no skills at asking women out... But that's a different question.

I know I'm a woman, but I kind of...don't remember not doing it, although at different times it was less often.When I read about women who, like, have to be taught, it kind of confuses me. Score one for hippie lack of shame, I suppose. I think the book we used was called "Growing Up and Liking It" Strangely, though, my mother would still rather talk about biology than emotional things around these kinds of issues. I was once busted like Sally Draper by one of my SPED teachers though. I thought I was in trouble, but my mother gave the teacher hell instead. I did get an extra-encylopedic definition of what "private" is.

I got the book "It's Perfectly Normal" by Harris and Emberley

That was the book I got for the boys. Gave it to them, told them they were always free to ask any questions. I believe it was the book recommended here. I never had a sit down The Talk. I was always open and comfortable answering any questions although few were asked. We have had a good number of teachable moments with unexpected teen pregnancies and so forth. Mostly my standard position with them has been 'no sex (alcohol, smoking, etc) until you are 35 or married, whichever comes first'. They also have been told that any potential spouse has to ask my permission first before they can marry. Brendon has told this to a number of women, but none of them have asked me for his hand yet.

I'm pretty sure the book we had was something like Growing Up, Feeling Good, but I remember learning a lot more from looking through my mom's copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves. I'm not sure I ever had, like, a sit-down Talk with my parents, but they were always open & willing to answer questions and made me feel like I could ask them anything. It worked out pretty well!

ION, D and I have been married 2 years today!

Congratulations!

It was an interesting decision I made, scheduling HPF's dentist appointment for the day after Easter.

So, here we are. I'm nodding off in the corner of the room while someone else gives her another talk about brushing. Which is fine. I'm glad it's not me.

Ginger, continuing the good outcome vibes.

Good luck LeN!

Happy anniversary, Erin and DH!

Happy anniversary, erin!

The procedure wasn't bad at all, except for the amount of time I spent being shut in various rooms and told someone would be coming for me soon. It was never soon. Results are in about a week.

I got back to find a message from Angela in the oncologist's office saying that I needed to come in for a bone marrow test. Angela is the one I saw three weeks ago who decided it had to be done in at the hospital and scheduled it there for today. Possibly Angela has gotten into the good drugs.

Passing grades, Ginger!

Best of luck, LeN!

I said it in Natter, but I'll say it again, because you guys rock as a couple. Happy Anniversary, Erin and DH!