greatly excited and ashamed by the first appearance of the indications
of puberty. Secrecy is the enemy of a clean, normal conception on the
part of the child as to the right place sex and the sex function play
in life and in the world. It stands to reason, of course, that every
least detail of the sex question cannot be intelligently made clear to
a little child. But his questions should all be answered, honestly,
and with due regard for his age and his capacity to understand what is
explained to him.
One very great advantage of an early paternal explanation of sex
matters to the boy is its beneficial effect on the mind and the
nerves. Many boys brood or grow melancholy when confronted with sex
riddles and problems for which they are unable to find a solution; and
as the result of totally erroneous ideas they may have formed with
regard to sex matters. At the same time too much attention should not
be paid the discussion of sex questions between father and son. A
father should, so far as possible, endeavor to develop other interests
and preoccupations in his boy, and turn his mind as much as may be
_away_ from matters sexual, until the age when the youth is ripe for
marriage is reached.