Decades Project
Ina Howard
Human Sexuality
Fran Jackler
8 December 2014
“Decades” Assignment
1. a) I interviewed my Grandfather, Meinhart Senf, who was born in Bremen, Germany and has lived there most of his life. He was a young teenager in the 1940’s however world war two also occurred in that decade. My grandfather lost both of his parents in that tragic war and has never had “the talk” with his parents. But he said that even if they had survived sex probably would have never been a topic of discussion because there was just a common conception about sex that everyone understood, sex was forbidden until one is married. My grandfather did not receive any education about sex or its consequences, he knew that a baby could come about however he was not aware of the STDs and having safe sex. When it came to sex my grandfather had no guidance. Interracial marriages were uncommon, they were not necessarily frowned upon but some people would be outraged about it. The age in which people started dating was very young, and the dating stage did not last very long since couples got married at a very young age already. My grandfather got married at a young age but the marriage did not work out and they got divorced, later he met my grandmother who already had a child and my grandfather did not mind taking them both in with open arms. I find this very admirable given the time that he grew up in.
b) Next I had a conversation with my mother, Manuela Howard who was also born in Germany. My mother’s teenage years were during the 1980’s. Since my grandparents never had discussions with their parents about sex, my mother never had that discussion with her parents either. The same concept remains; sex is only okay in a marriage. Even though my mother grew up in such a conservative era she has no problem talking about sex. She feels very comfortable sharing her thoughts and beliefs about it as well as welcoming any questions that I have. My mother did have sex before she got married with a previous
Human Sexuality
Fran Jackler
8 December 2014
“Decades” Assignment
1. a) I interviewed my Grandfather, Meinhart Senf, who was born in Bremen, Germany and has lived there most of his life. He was a young teenager in the 1940’s however world war two also occurred in that decade. My grandfather lost both of his parents in that tragic war and has never had “the talk” with his parents. But he said that even if they had survived sex probably would have never been a topic of discussion because there was just a common conception about sex that everyone understood, sex was forbidden until one is married. My grandfather did not receive any education about sex or its consequences, he knew that a baby could come about however he was not aware of the STDs and having safe sex. When it came to sex my grandfather had no guidance. Interracial marriages were uncommon, they were not necessarily frowned upon but some people would be outraged about it. The age in which people started dating was very young, and the dating stage did not last very long since couples got married at a very young age already. My grandfather got married at a young age but the marriage did not work out and they got divorced, later he met my grandmother who already had a child and my grandfather did not mind taking them both in with open arms. I find this very admirable given the time that he grew up in.
b) Next I had a conversation with my mother, Manuela Howard who was also born in Germany. My mother’s teenage years were during the 1980’s. Since my grandparents never had discussions with their parents about sex, my mother never had that discussion with her parents either. The same concept remains; sex is only okay in a marriage. Even though my mother grew up in such a conservative era she has no problem talking about sex. She feels very comfortable sharing her thoughts and beliefs about it as well as welcoming any questions that I have. My mother did have sex before she got married with a previous