I wish I had known that everybody does it. When I started masturbating, in the 7th or 8th grade, all of my peers would joke that people who masturbate are losers. I would sit in silent shame, knowing that I indeed was one of those losers. It would have been empowering to know that the people who were joking were probably even more insecure about it than I was.
- age 20, New York
This Week's Wackiest Responses:
I wish I had known that my grandmother wasn't blind.
- age 15, New Mexico
I wish I had known there wasn't an "e" in "orgasm." Lost me a game of Scrabble!
- age 24, United Kingdom
I wish I had known how to do it without feeling guilty.
- age 42, Mexico
I would have loved to know what an orgasm is! The first time I climaxed, I thought I was having a seizure or something. It was not a good feeling to be so unsure of what was happening!
- age 16, New York
It would have been nice if someone had explained the entire process to me! I had no clue what masturbation was, and I "discovered" it when I started to have "wet dreams." At first, I thought I was wetting the bed, but I knew there was something different about it because it felt so good. It would have saved me a lot of grief and frustration had I known about masturbation before I figured it out for myself. Once I realized how pleasurable it is to play with myself, I was doing it constantly, but I thought I was the only person doing it. Back then we didn't have the Internet, and no one ever talked about masturbation.
- age 33, Michigan
I wish I'd known that you're supposed to pull your foreskin back. Mine's a bit tight now, and I think I'm missing out on something by not being able to retract my foreskin all the way.
- age 18, United Kingdom
How messy the semen is — also, I wish I known about ejaculations.
- age 31, Wisconsin
I wish that I had known to not start with lubrication, because now I can't masturbate without it.
- age 15, Maryland
First, the mess it makes. As many others have experienced, my first orgasm involved what seemed to be gallons of semen, and I wasn't prepared to deal with it. Second, its addictive nature — I was very slow to start. I had been having "wet dreams" for about three years before I "discovered" masturbation. It's been a twice-a-day habit since. I can't really help myself and I sometimes wish I could cut down. I probably wouldn't have started if I had known where it would lead.
- age 20, Ontario, Canada
All I wish I had known is that it did not make me gay, a freak, or any other insult usually associated with masturbation.
- age 19, Minnesota
The "Stop & Go" technique.
- age 22, Michigan
I wish I had known what was going to happen. The first time I climaxed, I was scared out of my mind. I had no idea what was happening. I wouldn't even touch my penis for days afterwards. Later, I got on the Internet and found out what the heck was going on (through JackinWorld). My little brother just hit that age and he asked me some questions. I answered them and ended up explaining masturbation to him. Later, he asked me how to do it, so I showed him. He was not scared at all when he first climaxed.
- age 15, Texas
I wish I knew that after orgasm I would immediately and completely lose all interest in masturbating and my mood would change. I also wish I had known just how life-altering and addictive orgasms would be!
- age 27, Ontario, Canada
That my parents knew, so I wouldn't have had to hide it so much.
- age 16, Texas
How to make it last as long as I can now, and mainly, all the different techniques available for masturbating — a website like JackinWorld would have been just tops for me. I would have saved a lot of minor pains, such as friction burns and testicular pain, as this site shows safe ways to masturbate and lubes that are safe. Also, I would have liked to know that I am not the only male who wants to masturbate with other males, as this would have given me a bit more courage when I was younger to ask others my age.
- age 42, Australia
That you don't need porn to do it.
- age 17, Illinois
That masturbation is wrong and addictive — a misuse of my sexuality.
- age 23, Canada
That it feels like you have to pee right before you climax — I felt like such a freak because for about a week, I would masturbate right to the verge of orgasm, think I had to pee really bad, and then just stop. Finally one day, my semen just came out, and I realized it was supposed to feel like that.
- age 18, Wisconsin
That my parents would walk in on me.
- age 14, Florida
That semen sticks when it dries — I started doing it in the shower before school. My first class was gym, and I always had to start out with some odd 5-minute exercise. The worst part was jumping jacks, because my penis was almost always glued to my underwear with semen, which was somewhat painful.
- age 18, Michigan
Honestly, I'm glad I knew next to nothing, because I had no idea what to expect from an orgasm. When it finally happened, it was an overwhelming experience. I'm happy I didn't know what to expect — it made it that much better. It would have been nice to know that it was messy, though!
- age 17, Canada
How much of my time masturbating would suck up. Oh well — you can't really get good at a sport unless you practice, right?
- age 31, Washington
I wish I had known that I could defy the Catholic Church. When I first started, I thought I was going to hell for sure. I talked to one of my priests at school, I talked to a priest over the Internet, and I read books. Not until I found JackinWorld did I finally figure out that the church is full of it. I could have avoided all of that just by coming here. And then, all of these church sex scandals started — so they're not perfect, either. (The thing is, if masturbation weren't a sin, the sex scandals wouldn't be happening. Think about that, Pope.)
- age 15, Ohio
I started masturbating regularly before I could ejaculate. I had watched older boys masturbate, so I knew that as I got older how much semen to expect. Probably, the only thing I didn't know was that my penis would slump after I ejaculated and stay limp for a half-hour or so. Before I could ejaculate, I could have excruciating orgasms and my penis would stay erect so that I could, and often did, play with myself for as long as an hour, during which I would have two or three orgasms. Once I reached puberty, my erections went limp after ejaculating.
- age 22, California
I wish I had known how much of a mess all the semen I ejaculated would make. Also, I wish I had known that not all guys masturbate using their foreskin, and that some guys are circumcised, so they masturbate differently — I would have liked to know how they masturbate.
- age 17, Indiana
I'd like to have realized that orgasm and ejaculation are two totally different things — not to concentrate just on ejaculating right away, but to slow down and really explore all parts of my body. I have felt things that at first felt different or even weird, but with some practice I found what works for me. So, I would advise people just to chill out and kind of listen to your body. The feeling is what it's all about, not just the ejaculation. Relax, slow down, and enjoy the ride. It will be out of this world.
- age 45, Nebraska
That I wasn't a freak, it doesn't mean you're gay because you think about men having sex, that being gay is okay, and that masturbation in the presence of someone else is common. If I had known these things during that critical time, I might have better self-esteem and not have had to deal with the mental issues I have now.
- age 19, Florida
Like several people I have read about here on JackinWorld, I learned how to masturbate using an electronic massager. Although my orgasms are still wonderful and I get great pleasure from masturbating, I wish I had known about the potential effect of desensitizing my penis. Masturbation has never been discussed at my house, so I had to find everything out for myself. Information sites such as JackinWorld are a wonderful way for younger boys (and girls) to learn about healthy masturbation. I wish I had known about it when I was younger.
- age 16, Colorado
That my stepbrother could hear me! The house was old and had big ducts at ground level between our rooms. When I first started masturbating to orgasm, I'd lie on my bed and do it. He heard me and eventually even undid the vent to spy on me. I found this out from a friend he told. He said that when he would hear me masturbate, he'd go to the vent and take a look. I wanted to kill him!
- age 19, Pennsylvania (female)
I wish I had known how much of an issue it could be. I mean, when someone brings it up just out of the blue to some friends, they think you are sick. A friend and I both admitted that we masturbate. We have never had the idea of mutual masturbation, but when we talk about it, we talk as if it's an everyday thing. Sometimes I wonder why some people have to be so defensive when the question is brought up.
- age 16, Canada
I wish I had known what happens when you have an orgasm, because when I started to masturbate, I did not know what would come out. It felt like I had to urinate. Also, when I started to masturbate, I could perform fellatio on myself, but I never ejaculated because I did not know what would come out and did not want urine in my mouth. After I did ejaculate and knew it wasn't urine, I still didn't know what it would taste like. Had I known, I might have done it, but now I can no longer perform fellatio on myself.
- age 22, New Jersey
I wish I had known where I was actually heading with it and where everything was located.
- age 17, United Kingdom (female)
My sexual orientation — a couple of years ago my best friend and I both admitted to each other that we are bisexual. Years ago, if we had only known about this, it might have been more fun when we crashed at each other's places.
- age 28, Massachusetts
For openers, I wish I had known what the words "masturbation" and "orgasm" mean. I had never heard or seen those words. All I knew was that my erect penis felt wonderful whenever it was out of my pants, and even better when I would rub it gently. I wish I had known the proper way to masturbate and not have stopped my gentle stroking when the orgasm began; it took me decades to learn that basic step. I wish I had known that what I was doing was natural, healthy, and common to all adolescent males my age. I wish I had known that guilt is such an unnecessary burden, and that my fantasies about masturbating with my friends were common and normal. In short, I wish I had known all the things I have learned since I discovered JackinWorld 3 years ago. Thanks, guys!
- age 63, Michigan
I wish I had known that it's impossible to hold back once the orgasm is on the way.
- age 15, Florida
I had absolutely no education about sex or masturbation before the event, so I wish I could have known four things: (1) Will this involuntary movement stop before it is time to go to school? (2) Can I make this happen again? (3) Does anyone die doing this? (4) Is God going to condemn me for this? Later, I found these answers: Yes, yes, no, and no.
- age 58, Georgia
I wish that I had actually paid attention to JackinWorld back then. A friend had given me the URL, but I dismissed it as a joke site. I weep for the lost time!
- age 18, New York
How addictive masturbation would be — it might not have made any difference, but it might have helped me learn how to speak Hebrew better. When I began masturbating, I was attending Hebrew school, and I would often go to the bathroom for long periods of time to practice my newfound hobby. I missed many hours of Hebrew class that year, but I still had my bar mitzvah. Maybe if I had known how great masturbation is before I started, I could have at least scheduled my sessions ahead of time so as not to interrupt class.
- age 14, Maryland
I wish I had known that if you ejaculate into your underwear, it leaves a stain and your mom will ask you what it is.
- age 24, Indiana
How to do it — I wish my father had talked with me about masturbation. I find it incredible that he never talked about something I'm sure he did and that he knew I'd be doing eventually. I had to discover it on my own as the oldest boy in the family by several years. This is *not* a mistake I made when our son was 12 years old. I feel that masturbation is a preferable form of sexual relief for teenagers, and my son knows that he can do it with our complete approval and in a guilt-free atmosphere. I simply explained to him how it is done and what he would feel. I also bought him a bottle of lube that I think he has found helpful.
- age 45, Washington
I wish I could have found JackinWorld a long time ago. I had my first orgasm when I was 11 years old. It was a total surprise and it kind of scared me. Now that I have found this amazing site, I can express my masturbatory needs without fear. I am now directing my friends to JackinWorld so they can be informed about safe ways to pleasure themselves.
- age 14, Tennessee
I wish I had known: (1) not to feel guilty about masturbating because everyone does it; (2) that when I ask someone if they masturbate and they say no, that they are lying; (3) to tell my mom that I'm going to masturbate whether she likes it or not. I wish I had known that it is normal for a young boy to masturbate and adults masturbate as well as kids.
- age 61, Colorado
I didn't figure it out until I discovered JackinWorld last May. I wish I could have found out about it earlier — *much* earlier! I really have no regrets about masturbating several times a week now. I should really say thank you.
- age 18, Tennessee