Proud or not?

[mrlolicon93]

Are you proud of the fact that you are attracted to minors or does it make you feel insecure and feel like a bad person for having thoughts you cannot control?

[ZeroXJoker]

Proud is not the word I would use. I think of my attraction as I am what I am.

[Fragment]

I agree that it's not something I'm "proud of" per se, it's not an accomplishment or something I've actively decided to do myself. But I do want to be able to hold my head high and speak "with pride" about my orientation.

I think there are really two senses to the word "pride". One is about pride in your accomplishments. One exists as the opposite of "shame". I am not ashamed of who I am, nor should I be, so in that sense I am "proud".

[Joanne7315]

Yes Proud!

I keep going through high and lows but I am currently on a high and absolutely proud to be a MAP. It is what I am. LOUD AND PROUD.

[Red Rodent]

Are you proud of the fact ...

Unashamed but not proud, as it's neither a decision I've made nor an achievement I've worked towards.

[Harlan]

Any attraction is based on the desire to give Care, Joy, Love. Like any adequate person, I have no desire to cause pain and suffering to anyone. I am proud of who I am. I am NOT a predator, NOT a sadist and NOT a rapist.

[PorcelainLark]

As others have said, I'm unashamed but not proud.

[Red Rodent]

I am proud of who I am. I am NOT a predator, NOT a sadist and NOT a rapist.

One doesn't have to be a pedo to have inappropriate sexual fantasies, though. Do "normies" feel proud of not being rapists?

Despite my association with a well-known non-c community, I have a problem with the idea of making a virtue out of not harming others.

[BLueRibbon]

I used to be proud of my ability to make platonic YFs, but then I got a bit older, took on excessive responsibilities, and don't 'have it' any more.

[Red Rodent]

I used to be proud of my ability to make platonic YFs, but then I got a bit older, took on excessive responsibilities, and don't 'have it' any more.

I don't think you ever "lose it," BLR.

Kids react to you differently as you get older, it's true. When I went into teaching (secondary, 11-18 year-olds) I was much closer to the kids' ages than I was to their parents'. I was the young, broadminded, wise older brother figure who took no shit from them but was always on their side. Ten years later it suddenly dawned on me that I was conceivably old enough to have teenage kids of my own. It all happens so quickly, doesn't it? I still loved teaching but started having these visions of myself as one of those dusty, sad old pedagogues with classroom management issues, churning out the same syllabus year in, year out while waiting for his pension. But I never felt I lost the connection with my students. It just changed to a different frequency.

I changed career a couple of years back but former pupils, some still in their teens, still give me high-fives in the street and stop for a chat. I don't think that's because of anything special about me or any "gift" that I have, it's just down to being genuinely fond of them, respecting them as human beings, having time to listen non-judgmentally and laugh about shit.

When I hear about experts saying how "skilled" people who "groom" kids are at manipulating them, I think, "BS!" The problem is it's just too easy. The difference is we don't do it for nefarious ends. We do it because relating to young people gives us a buzz ten times more powerful than crack.