I was a sexual predator.
Friday, 22 December 2006 by Jacob TomawI know this is not the kind of thing any one wants to hear, especially around Christmas. However it is true. If I had gone to elementary school under the same rules as today, I might have been suspended for inappropriate sexual behavior twice. After reading this article and earlier reports about an incident in Texas, I have learned the rules have changed.
In either kindergarten or 1st grade I lifted a girl’s dress while we were lining up to return to the class room after recess. Since we were in line, she must have had a last name close to mine. Is it a sign of how criminal my brain is that I don’t even remember the name of this girl I exploited? I am thankful that Mr Bosk and either Mrs. Fritzen or Mrs. Dunham had the good sense to not suspend me and I was disciplined the same as if I had hit the girl. It is appropriate to equate this activity to hitting for children who know nothing of sexual activity. Sometimes hitting is OK and sometimes lifting a dress is OK, but they both require the other person to want it. Although most of the time it is not OK.
I did not learn enough from that incident. In third grade I stole a kiss from a girl named Melissa. I do not think it was concentual so stole is the right verb. I don’t think I was punished for this, other than jeering by my classmates. In third grade this was still jeering for touching a girl, not becuase she didn’t want me to touch her. We had no idea what sex was. We knew there was a thing called Safe Sex because we are children of the AIDS 80’s. We used to tell jokes like “Jake’s idea of Safe Sex is a board with a whole in it.” That is an actual line I remember Cory Bowman saying at lunch. I still don’t think I know what this means.