post-pubescent discovery…a maiden voyage, a maiden post

Thought completely cliche, I regret to inform you that the introductory eight words to this (maiden) post must stand as is: There comes a time in every boy’s life, concurrently and post-puberty, that sexual attraction and discovery begins.  ¶  Ideally – at least for semi-conservative, Christian-bred parents of the South – this occurs as follows (I’ll use my brother as the example): growth of hair and smell in hidden-from-light places, realization that man-parts do more than merely itch and pee, shift in thought away from the idea that Sunday sale-paper brassiere advertisements merely get in the way of the toy section, carry-over from sale ads to also notice Sue Jin running in gym class (she’s the reason he and all his buddies will come to refer to large breasts as “Sue Jins”), this is followed by an awareness and appreciation of girls (sexual attraction), and ultimately, more and more brazen displays of this appreciation (sexual discovery), i.e; gawking, whistling, propositioning, holding of the hands, note-writing, kissing, etc.  ¶  Not-so-ideally – at least for the conservative-raised, Christian-bred son of the South, who happens to like other boys – this concurrent and post-puberty sexual attraction and discovery only partially occurs, and as follows: growth of hair and smell in hidden-from-light places, realization that man-parts do more than merely itch and pee, shift in thought away from the idea that Sunday sale-paper mens-underwear advertisements merely get in the way of the toy section, carry-over from sale ads to also notice fellow sports-players in the locker room (they are the sole reason he will quit playing school sports), this is followed by an awareness and appreciation of boys (sexual attraction), and ultimately, more and more frustration due to his obstinacy when it comes to liking girls, and cultural repulsion to sexual discovery.  ¶  ”When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”