h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You're quite right, I allow my prejudices to run away with me - 2 12 years olds is just totally unwise - and wrong for them physically.

I'd disagree about paedophile sex generally being non-penetrative though, I have known two people who were victims of a predatory paedophile. As he is now locked up, it should be OK to say that one of them was the priest in charge of Father Hudson's home in Coleshill, and the other was a priest in Coventry - though they haven't caught him yet - you may have read about the guy who's suing the Archdiocese of Birmingham for a couple of million......

The last statement is what I try to do with my children, and I said I'd better stop because it really is not my place to lecture people on how to bring up children. Especially as I suspect that my own children are so good because of who they are, not what I've moulded them into - for a start they're far more tolerant than me.

Wrong for them physically, I don't know. If they are *biologically* developed enough for sex then I don't think it would do them physical harm, unless pregnancy resulted... which can be fairly risky for any age. (You hear much conflicting evidence about the Pill, but I have to conclude it's safe generally. They could use condoms, which do no harm unless they're latex-allergic.)

I have been reading up on paedophilia and related stuff, *generally* it is non-penetrative. (You may know of 2 who suffered that, but you don't know of any others.) There are plenty of them who never attack children, also. Of course this is generally not told about and only necrosadistic child-killers make the news.
Abuse of children when in a position of trust is to me the *worst* type of abuse. It does seem that they get a little more protection than the non-frocked, for whatever reason.

Well, from other conversations I've gathered your children certainly have the right idea when it comes to Discworld novels.

This could count as another problem today's young prople face - puberty often starting at a younger age. Biologically mature before they are emotionally mature.

I don't think it's modern. 'Primitive' societies for instance develop earlier, and it was common practice in previous centuries- more or less constant- to marry children to adults. (13 year old brides were common for instance.)
It was only in 1865 that the current hetero. age of consent was introduced. Biology seems to have stayed the same, whereas the concept of extended childhood has developed ahead of it. I reckon most consensual underage sex (severely underage that is) is a result of boredom more than anything.

Mandragora, I've been meaning to ask you this for ages. In the context of a conversation about paedophilia, what do you mean when you say children are not innocent? I agree they aren't always angels but I don't know what you are saying with that comment.

They aren't innocent, they are amoral. At a young age, they have not formed concrete ideas of right/wrong, and any judgement they make is pretty savage- one child steals another's toy, the other hits him to get it back. Problem solved.
More specifically, children display sexual behaviour. It is not fully developed or sophisticated, but tendencies and more importantly acknowledgment of them, is present.