immune to cooties

[Flushed]

I'd be surprised if this hasn't been asked before, but I don't see any topic for it in the recent past. Growing up as a kid, for me at least, idk about you guys, but I was "taught" (not sure by who tbh, maybe I just assumed) that girls were icky. Obviously I don't think that now. If you were the same way, at what age did you start noticing the other gender as not complete enemies? Similarly, if it was a different age, when was your first crush (if you've had one)? Obviously answers may be the same or different based on sexual orientation, or even if you were brought up with that girls vs boys mentality.

Edit: looking at this post it seems sexually insensitive of me to establish the connection between crush/gender. Hopefully you know what I'm trying to say though. ;P

 

[darkredwing]

I was never taught that girls were icky by my parents or teachers or anything but my peers at that age diffidently believed it. I never did though, I was always nice to girls in my classes, even invited some of them to my birthday party in first grade. Had my first crush in second... I think I was 8 at the time. I started kindergarten a year late so I was usually the oldest in my class.

 

[Mark Kamill]

I first realized girls were amazing creatures of my passion at around 10? I dunno, the whole girls have cooties thing never really jived with me, always thought all people were people.(except for my misguided racism at 5 years old that involved rock throwing, but that's an entirely different issue)But yeah my first crush was a classmate of mine, stacy. She didn't grow into anything special, judging by FB photos, but man alive did that girl steal my heart. Always fought with her for things like her stupid(then) earrings, how her skirt is too short, but never let a compliment get away either. We never dated of course, this was all during 7th grade, but god damn it do I wish we had. That girl probably could have changed me quite a bit.

 

[Nick]

I've always had a girl friend, since I started socializing with other children. My first friend was a girl.

Though I still was one of those people who said that girls have cooties, all the way up until like the 7th grade. I didn't believe it, but I thought it was incredibly humorous. My best friend and I in middle school would always go around saying "Girls are ickyyyyy they have cootieeees!"

 

[antemortem]

My first friends in fourth grade, the grade in which I was no longer homeschooled, were girls, and before that I hadn't socialized much with any kids of my age, thus I hadn't been exposed to that stigma. Thankfully, though, I didn't hear about it much in fourth grade and even if I did, I didn't care because the other boys didn't want to be friends with me anyway because I was the new kid. Screw them >:(

 

[moon]

My best friends in kindergarten were guys because they liked to play with the same toys as I did. Lego and handheld games and dinosaurs and cars whatnot. The girls just brushed the hair of their barbie dolls all the time, where's the fun in that O.o So I don't think I ever was scared of boys or something.

 

[Poki]

I've always had more guy friends. I just do.

 

[zakisrage]

I always had female friends, even at 8 years old. I probably had more female friends when I was little than today - it's because many girls tend to get girlier as they get older. Now, most of my friends are male, and most of my female friends are tomboys to some extent. I don't like associating with girly girls, and I've had bad experiences with a few of them, especially the ones that don't respect girls with non-traditionally-feminine interests.

None of my male friends believed in the cooties thing, either. The only thing that really keeps the idea of cooties alive is cartoons.

Back when I was a kid, I was more worried about culture than gender with friends. Most of my friends were Lebanese until I moved to Newcastle when I was 12. Since there weren't many Lebanese kids, I had to learn to make other friends. I've always been taught to view people as people, but growing up in an ethnic neighbourhood made it hard to branch out to others. Now that I live in a mixed neighbourhood, I don't worry about it.

 

[Aslan]

I've felt comfortable around boys since forever. They were my best friends when I started preschool, throughout primary school and I generally like hanging out with them more than girls. Mainly because I'm not interested in fashion or brushing dolls or whatever girls do. I've never been taught the icky thing either, so yeah. Boys are pretty cool! First crush was probably around 8 or 9? I don't remember the details but yeah. XD

 

[Demon Days]

I've always been alright with girls, I guess. Didn't talk to any much back in my first few years on primary school.
Let's not even get started on my first crush because goddammit I already wrote what happened in the puberty thread and I don't want to do it again ;_;

 

[acatfrommars]

I think that it was 6th. grade when I went on a date to see I Am Legend. It seems that Middle School is when we all grow up quite a bit.

 

[Kikaito plush]

My best friend was always an male in every school I was in so I guess never.

 

[Sydian]

I never thought boys had cooties, and have always preferred the company of boys as opposed to girls. I grew up with one sister, but I had a lot of cousins, both boys and girls, so the cooties thing was never really an issue with us. If anyone had cooties, it was my sister. Because she was lame and the baby and no one wants to play with the baby.

 

[Towerizer]

i never had that girls are gross mentality growing up they were just girls that was it lol. and my first crush was in 3rd grade to a girl named Olivia but half way through the year she moved back to Germany, i never really talked to her but i thought she was cute, but that's an 8 year old's perspective and tbh i can't even remember what she looked like any more haha.