While out for my daily walk this morning I passed by three middle school girls I know vaguely and we said hello and I returned to reading from Platos great dialogue Pheado where Socrates is arguing his reasoning for "recollection" as evidence for the immortality of the Soul to his friends Cebes and Simmias. As interesting as this subject matter was I found my thoughts returning repeatedly back to the three girls I had just past. Through some form of unconcious association or subliminal process I found myself undergoing one of those AH HA! experiences.

I realized in that moment the truth of what other MAAs have been saying on this board and other similar ones which is that children are "sexual beings" and just as we as adults enjoy sexual pleasure, children do also. I began thinking to myself that if i were to put myself into the shoes of a child who wanted to experience sex pleasure and was told that such pleasures were denied to me simply because of my young age or because my life experience hasn't been extensive enough, I am certain I would feel such prohibition to be terribly unjust.

No doubt many of you reading this are thinking "well duh! All Eyes " but this was a new revelation for me, I feel I "owned" this understanding this morning. I mean prior to this morning my perspective regarding adult/child sexual relationships has always been primarily from the position of an MAA rather than from the position of the child.

Strider, Mvanhouten, Dissident and others have stated over and over and over again that until the children are free to make their own decisions regarding who and in what manner they share their bodies with others, MAAs haven't a ghost of a chance in gaining societal acceptance for their pedophilic "orientation".

I now accept and understand this premise better but I also recognise that while the term "protect the children" may be used to deny children their sexual freedom, I do worry that children will not always make the best of choices and in "real life" may need some "justly inspired protection" expressed particularly in the form of benevolent guidance.

Just as adults don't always make the best choices, children won't either. But I feel the odds for them of making the "best" choice is often dependant upon the information they base their decision upon, hence the need for indepth quality sex education for children to insure they make the best choices possible.

As there is more to life than sex (isn't there?) I would like to see children taught "Philosphy" as early as possible as well, so that they are better equipped to think for themselfs, and less subject to manipulation and "going along" with the crowd. Saying NO to sex is half of a childs options, the other half of course being when, and with whom, and under what circumstances to say YES. But ultimately since it is the childs body, that decision should be theirs.

Thanks for your time.

AE