My friend and I had not been in boy scouts very long the first time we went to summer camp, as both of us had just turned twelve within the previous couple months. We didn’t really know any of the other six boys in our patrol, who were ages 13 to 15. All of them had known each other for at least a year and had all been to camp before. For us being the young, new kids who knew nothing and were away from home for the first time, they really treated us pretty well and integrated us into the group, though they did mess with us a little just to make sure we knew where we stood.
There were several firsts for us during our week at camp. In our city, students dress out for PE and start taking showers in the 7th grade. Since we had just completed the 6thgrade, neither of us had ever showered or had been naked with others previously. We hadn’t really thought about what the showering arrangement would be like at camp, but we found out. The shower is open with four shower heads lined up on two counter-facing walls. Outside the shower is a changing room, which is pretty much open but has stacks of shelves for clothes that are lined with benches and has an open area in the middle. When it is your patrol’s scheduled turn for the shower, you only have a few minutes, so the group gets there early and everyone gets undressed so they can maximize your short time in the water.
So, the first time our patrol went to the shower building, my friend and I were somewhat surprised at how casually everyone took off their clothes. We were both nervous and embarrassed but followed the crowd. We started to pick up our towels to cover ourselves but saw that no one else did. Then one of the older boys pulled out a small, plastic football. We were divided into two teams for a game of Keep Away. So we were now running around the changing room completely naked throwing the football back and forth. No one else seemed to think this was weird. We wanted to fit in, so we joined the game even though we were quite embarrassed. Upon leaving the shower that day, one of the older boys asked if it was our first group shower. When we answered yes he said he could tell by how bright red and nervous we were. He said that we would get used to it soon, and he was right. By the third day, the game of Naked Keep Away seemed normal and fun.
When we were alone later that night we had a unique conversation. We both acknowledged feeling embarrassed at taking our clothes off in front of others and thought it was strange but fun to be running around naked during the game of Keep Away. We had a conceptual understanding of how boys grow as teenagers but had never actually seen a naked teenager. We both admitted that we each discreetly checked everyone out. My friend asked if I had noticed how they all looked naked compared to us. Of course I had. Their penises and balls were much bigger than ours. Some of the other boys just had a little pubic hair, while a couple of the older ones had a lot. We wondered if we were going to grow like that within the next year or so, or if we were just small. My friend asked if I thought that they noticed how little boyish we were. I thought it was a near certainty that they had. However, no one said anything or teased us about it.
We got lucky that the older boys in our patrol were welcoming and treated us well. This is in contrast to first timers in other patrols who were either harassed or ignored by the older members. The one thing our patrol did to make sure we remained humble and understood our status was each night, just before lights out, they gave us a task to do. If we failed to do it in the allotted time-frame or other constraints allowed, we would have to do pushups.
For each of these activities, we were just wearing the boxers and t-shirts we would be sleeping in.
Part I of III
Mick
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