I have 2 sons and a husband and they all have a penis. I know this not only because it is common sense but because, they are always, referencing, grabbing, holding, pinching, scratching or observing it. It seems as though it is an unconscious obsession that starts at the age of 3, sometimes earlier. I remember when my older son was 3 or 4 He would get a bath and examine, pull and stretch his “pieces” within an inch of its life. He would ask “Mama, do you have a “pieces?”” I would respond, “I don’t have a penis only boys and men have a penis.” He would then go through a list of people and ask if they had a penis. I would answer accordingly. Then he asked, “Do boy choo-choos have a penis?” When I would say I did not know, looking at me in horror he would say, “But Mama, they HAVE to!” It’s this concern and information gathering that always astounded me.
Now my younger son, is also concerned and questioning. He looks at it and laughs. He stretches it up and asks it if it has any pee pees in it. While we were in the pediatrician’s office for his yearly check, she was examining him and gave him a little flash light to play with. When he was completely naked, he instantly placed the flashlight between his legs and exclaimed “ Doctor, this is my penis! Right there, there it is!”
I deal with this on a daily basis, so when a congressman, football player, preacher, or musician decide to tweet, e-mail or text a picture of their penis, I am not surprised. As a matter of fact I am not even phased. It is a little known fact that the penis is not that big of a deal to us women. Don’t get me wrong. There is a time and place where it is a very big deal. But it is not in a tweet. The comedian Kristin Schall on the Daily Show, said it best, (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-7-2011/rash-of-penis-photos?xrs=share_copy) when she said “Men have to realize, their penis has FAR more power over them then it does over us.” I have to say, not having one sometimes makes me wonder what its all about. It’s a pretty ridiculous piece of flesh hanging there. I mean, our female parts, while being somewhat obvious really don’t hold that much self interest. My only concern is that everything is covered. With all the maintenance that goes into our parts, you would think that we would be taking pictures and putting up billboards. But that is reserved for the very special bodies, not the every day ones.
If I was a man with an average body and a penis that somewhat resembled every one else’s, I couldn’t imagine that a picture of my penis would do anything for anyone. The penis texters are usually pretty powerful, high profile guys. Not all are stupid, but all really think that someone is interested. Being that delusional is just sad, isn’t it? It turns out that the only ones interested are themselves. Then, that interest sparks the downfall of their personal relationships. It is pathetic in a way.
As for my own sons, I won’t stifle their natural and cute fascination with their body (not that I could)! But I hope I am able to teach my boys that they are special and wonderful. That they should respect their bodies and the bodies of others. And that tweeting pictures of their body parts can only lead to trouble.
