Are we still playing the penis game?

How funny was it in sixth grade playing the “penis game?” Remember? You would whisper “penis,” and your friend would then say “penis” a tad louder. Between the two of you, someone had to win. It was probably you who shouted: “PENIS!” and attracted several disgusted looks after your friend surrendered from sheer embarrassment.

It didn’t really matter at the time, for you took the trophy home for being so bold and having the loudest and most short-lived potty-mouth.

Have those days really changed?

Obviously we’ve all progressed pass the ludicrous “penis game,” but just how far? How often do you find yourself making immature and probably perverted jokes? How often do you hear them?

A great bit of those jokes come from guys. Big surprise there. A college-age man still chuckling with the words: balls, penis, nuts and so on. For us women, it seems as though we’re trapped in the endless spiral of dicks, literally.

If I had a nickel for every time someone made a comment like, “Yeah, well your dad/mom was wild in bed last night,” or “Your grandma is such a hot kisser,” I could pay for your tuition for all four years here at SMU.

Are there men that exist who don’t have a comment for everything ranging from boobs to armpit hair? And where are they hiding?

They say that men are three years behind women in maturity levels. So, does that mean we’re all dating boys with high school mentalities and mannerisms? How are we ever going to escape the “penis game” if our lovers are constantly around penises?

Nowadays there are quick-fix pills for everything: depression, herpes, acid reflux, heartburn, weight loss, erectile dysfunction – you name it, they’ve got it.

What else is out there for us other than birth control and steroids to change our behavior? Where are the pills for immaturity?

But, maybe the real issue is that it’s not really an issue. Everyone needs to laugh.

Laughing even burns calories! Maybe we should stop condemning immaturity and relish in what it does for us – it brings us back to childhood and the days when laughter came as easy as eating a gooey grape popsicle on a hot summer day.

When did we become so serious? And by whose standards and rules states our obligation to grow up? It’s better to take advantage of our immaturity rather than harbor nostalgia for the days that once were.

A 13-year-old girl I once baby-sat for told me her father, 57, still laughs whenever someone says the word “balls.”

Either way, we’re going to end up marrying a penis anyway, so instead of fighting immaturity, maybe we should all pat it on the back and say thanks.

I’m not praising the penis game or any vulgar stunts similar to it, but we must appreciate it for what it is and what it does for us. Immaturity helps us to bond with others and, hopefully, one day we may grow out of it.

But, if we don’t, realize that it’s okay. We’re all kids at heart, as the 13-year-old girl said to me.

Stacy Seebode is a senior journalism and dance major. She writes weekly columns about relationships . You can reach her at [email protected].