For discussion: If you were a pedophile

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by sean

and knowing you can fall for them as easily and as lightly as a fly landing on a watermelon,

What happens when they grow up? Do you still love them?

[sean]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

What happens when they grow up? Do you still love them?

It changes. You know, a lot of parents go thru a kind of grief when their kids hit puberty. They know they can't love their adult children in the same way they did when they were babies, and I guess it's similar.

I have a couple of very close adult friends, one male and one female, who I've been friends with since they were little. I was in love with one of them when she was a child, and she knows about that. It's slightly embarrassing, but not cripplingly so. When she was eleven she would offer and seek advice as easily as she does now. We're pretty close, but no, I'm not in love with her any more. Besides, she has a boyfriend.

[sean]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

What happens when they grow up? Do you still love them?

Also, you know, its not all about grand passions. Sometimes being attracted to kids simply means being able to tolerate one of them for slightly longer than might otherwise be the case, or maybe making a connection for a couple of hours with a kid you'll never see again.

When I talk about falling in love, its the same as it is for most people. I don't fall in love every five minutes. There are less than a handful of kids who have been a really significant presence in my life. So while these have been episodes, and not my whole life, they've had a real impact on me. That's one reason I can't discount my experiences as easily as some people think I ought to. Also, I'm comfortable that my friendship has been a positive experience for those kids, and I've been told as much by them and people around them.

Maybe love's the wrong word, but it's the word that seems to fit.