Was i sexually harassed? was my situation normal?

Okay, well, for some reason, this is a bit hard to write about. I'll try to be quick and to the point (don't count on it- I ramble).

When I was little, my (also) female cousin (she's only about one to three years older) would often lift up her shorts and show me her... coochie. I was really young at the time (around four to six years old? Can't remember much), and I would just giggle secretively as if it was common mischief (was it?).

She would say, "*My name*, look." and do it while smiling knowingly at me. We'd giggle, and go back to playing whatever it was we were playing. Sometimes, she'd be like, "Show me yours." I don't remember if I did, but I remember the last time I was really embarrassed and refused. I opted to show her my butt instead (and I did. I suppose it was a trade off), but she shook her head and demanded I show her mine. We tussled for a bit (laughing and shrieking), and I think (though I don't remember) I managed to keep myself covered. I remember casually mentioning something about it to my mom, and she completely freaked out (she was sexually abused as a child).

After that, she wouldn't let me play with my cousin anymore (which I was upset about. I didn't know why she was so freaked out, and pleaded with her not to do anything. I don't think she listened (like I said, I can't remember much)), and, the next time I saw my cousin, she was in all black and had this sort of "emo/goth" vibe (that was years later, and she's still like that today). I felt really guilty because I thought maybe it was my fault she was like that. She used to be kind of bubbly and happy when we were kids.

I never really thought much of it as a kid, but, as I got older, I started to think more and more about it. Now, I can hardly go a day without dwelling over it, turning it over in my head, wondering if that was a bad thing or I'm just being a little sensitive teenager (I'm still technically a teen- 18). Actually, a whole bunch of weird things happened to me as a kid with my cousins (and not cousins).

Like, one of my cousins and I were playing on a moon jump, and he sort of straddled me while we were wrestling, holding me rather tightly. I think he got aroused. He apologized profusely about it afterwards, and I reassured him that he did nothing wrong. I mean, we were nine, ten years old. I just pretended not to have thought anything of it since I didn't want to be awkward with him.

Another one of my cousins (on a different side of my family) had always been rather... touchy with me. I tried really hard not to notice and be cool. When we were kids (around the same age as I was with my female cousin, 4-6 years old. He's older by a couple of years.) he wanted to play house. I kind of knew where it was going, and opted we be brother and sister, but he refused. He wanted to be husband and wife. So... he made a makeshift house with the blankets. He then said something about husband and wives having to kiss, and I don't really remember much after that except him all over my face with his. He told me to open my mouth like real couples, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was terrified his mother would walk in and misunderstand or something. In the end, I managed to convince him to let us play another game. Now that he's older, he's rather normal. Except, a couple years ago he was accused by another one of our cousins of trying to rape (or raping) her... Supposedly, it occurred during a theme park trip... I was sharing a bed with them (I must be a heavy sleeper or something). The accusing cousin, though, is known for lying and exaggerating the truth. It's confusing.

Then there's my ex-neighbor. He was always, quite literally, trying to get in my pants. He was constantly touching me (this was when we were older, 11-13, and he was going through puberty, I think), and even went so far one time as to put his hand down my pants. I was super embarrassed, and quickly stopped him. He pleaded with me, but I was strong in my refusal. Then I convinced him that we go outside and play.

So yeah, those are the weird times I remember. I was searching it up, and I read that kids experimenting with kids is normal and kind of innocent. I wonder of that's what happened with me?

Sometimes, I think I imagined some of those since I can't remember them too well. I was wondering if these things were normal. I also came upon an article that said you can have been sexually abused and not remember it. I had some of the signs, but I'm pretty sure I was never outright abused. One of the signs was being incapable of trust. I've never, not even on my first day of preschool when I learned the meaning of friends (which was before the whole cousin incident), trusted anybody.

Am I over thinking this? Just a drama queen? A lot of people have actually been abused. I can't bring myself to tell my friends or family about this, so I'll trust complete strangers. I just want a second opinion. Was all this normal? I always thought I was just a victim of their puberty.

Voting Results
54% Normal
Based on 97 votes (52 yes)
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Comments ( 20 )
  • Since nobody else is answering this with any degree of sincerity...

    Yes. All of that is normal. Questions would arise if there was a four-year difference in age, the standard that the American Psychological Association uses to determine molestation...and even that would be subjective in the relatively innocent scenarios you outlined.

    This is all normal childs play and curiosity. Most of us have similar stories. I would question anyone who doesn't.

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  • ProseAthlete

    A lot of what you're describing sounds like youthful exploration. The only thing that strikes me as a little off-putting was the incident with the neighbor, and even then, you were both really young; young kids don't always know where the boundaries are, and he stopped when you told him to stop.

    You might be more inclined to dwell on these incidents and see them as more sinister than they were because you were raised by someone who had been the victim of abuse. If your mom was hyper-vigilant about anything that might have seemed untoward, you might have picked up some of her understandable fear and sensitivity to inappropriate behavior.

    As Obscurereason said, almost everyone has stories very much like yours. Kids are naturally curious about the "bathing suit places" on themselves and other people, and while those encounters might be awkward, they don't seem abusive to me.

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  • kelili

    I think that you should thank God that none of these incidents have gone further.

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    • Train.Wreck

      I do, but was my situation normal? I hear a lot of stories about child curiosity and maybe I'm just thinking it over too much.

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      • Devyn

        It's maybe slightly unusual that so many of these incidents happened to one person. However it's not that unlikely and any of the incidents described, taken on its own, is completely normal.

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  • thehalfgoodgirl

    I remember at a a friend’s house and she was 11 I was 10 and her friend was a boy he was 11 like her and she always would show her butt she would pull her pants and panties under her butt and show her naked butt to me sometimes or the boy the boy loved it she told me to do it but I was shy back then I would look at it on the mirror and spread it open and look back to see my butthole and I remember being able to smell it under my legs it smelled like dirty butt and I didn’t want them to smell it so I told her that my butt stinks and she said it’s ok hers to and sometimes the boy smells it and then she she bend over and she spread her butt open and she moved her head down and she looked at me under her legs and I saw her butthole and the boy sniffed it and then I went in front of the mirror and I pulled down my pants and panties and I looked at my butt on the mirror and it did turn me on and then I turned around and they saw my butt and then my friend told the boy “look at her booty it looks stinky” and then the boy was touching his dick and then he got on his knees and he was looking at my naked butt up close and he spread my butt open and I know that when he did that the smell came out and then he said “oh yeah I love it it smells like dirty booty” and he started smelling my butthole I couldn’t believe it but I actually liked it one day and my friend always took a bath but she said she never cleaned her butt and I didn’t either because I wanted it to be stinky so the boy can smell it he even would put his finger in my butt my friend was a nasty girl but I learned from her and later as the years went by we were teenagers she was 15 and I was 14 he was 15 and he fucked her in the ass and she loved it

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  • anti-hero

    Just admit that you are a guy.

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    • Train.Wreck

      I...I'm not? Last time I checked, anyway.

      I mean, people often tell me I write like a boy, but I always thought they meant my messy handwriting...

      Ha, what gave you that impression anyway?

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      • anti-hero

        Just seemed a bit like a guy-perv-troll post to me. I will take your word for it though.

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        • BINGO. The fact that it's infuriatingly long-winded and needlessly detailed would indeed suggest that.

          @ the OP: Having sexual advances forced on you, regardless of the aggressor's age, is unacceptable.

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        • Train.Wreck

          Was it really that perverted?

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          • anti-hero

            Seemed like a troll that was trying to do a good job if that counts.

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            • Devyn

              I think you're just associating child sexuality too much with perversion. Most children do have sexual feelings and occurrences such as those detailed by the OP certainly do occur and are not harmful nor perverted.

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  • chuy

    Sounds normal childhood exploration and games up untill the 10-13 inccident. He was really trying to harm you.

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  • RoseIsabella

    Sorry but I don't think it's normal. In fact I find it really creepy. I mean your mom did say she was molested so her siblings probably were too and if she had any siblings who were molested they are more likely to molest or marry molesters. So probably there's an ongoing history of incest in your family. Your litter flasher cousin didn't become an Emo/ Goth chick because she's in love with life! She was probably molested and that's probably why she was so aggressive about seeing your private parts. If she was molested it would really adversely affect her life hence the change fro bubbly to brooding type.

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  • Pace

    You must have been one sexy mofo cos it sounds like the whole neighbourhood wanted a slice!

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  • emi101

    The SAME exact thing happened with me...and sometimes I can't remember if it was a dream, because it's not so clear in my head. But when I was 6, my family friend, a guy, touched me "down there" and...yeah. I'm a girl by the way. And I've had other incidents too.

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  • redoctober

    "I'm still technically a teen". You are 18. You are literally a teen you idiot.

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    • Devyn

      Some people regard 13 - 17 year olds as teens, because people older than that are legally adults.

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