Erik, 42 years old:

"An incredible number of children are left to themselves."

I go where boys go - to swimming pools, places where there are game machines. Many boys feel flattered if an adult enjoys talking with them and is interested in the things they are interested in. So, it is usually easy to get to know boys in such places.

Do you tell them that you are sexually interested in them?

I don't bring that up at the first meeting; it could easily scare them off. Half-a-year may go by before something happens. There are boys who have visited me numerous times without our having sex. They might bring one or two friends with them, so we amuse ourselves playing cards, listening to records. To me they are often so very handsome and charming, and I tell them so quite frankly. They are overjoyed to find someone who likes them. They're flattered that I find them fascinating. And then, suddenly, it just happens; from flattery to fondling - the distance is not so great. And twelve-, thirteen-, fourteen-year-old boys really need sex. They need other things, too, but sex is terribly important at that age.

Is it clear to them that it is something illegal that they're doing?

No, in most cases this is not clear to them.

Do you tell them?

After I've known them for some time. Then I bring the subject up. Also to protect myself. I have to tell them that they mustn't say anything to anyone about what we are doing.

Have any of these boys asked for something in recompensation for these contacts?

Very seldom do they ask. But of course I usually offer them things when they are in my home: a soft drink, a piece of cake. 

What sort of boys have you had relations with?

All sorts. Sons of unmarried mothers. Boys from institutions. Boys that have both of their parents. Boys from wealthy and middle-class and poor families.

These are mainly children who don't have much parental guidance?

Yes. Mainly boys who wander around and are bored. An incredible number of children are left to themselves. They are happy when an adult takes an interest in them.

Do you also get some emotional satisfaction from these relations?

Yes, very much. I need to have somebody for whom I'm important. Somebody, perhaps, whom I can help bring up. These boys are often out on the streets at night and get involved in petty theft, breaking into shops and so on. They usually tell me about it soon after, and I try to stop them from doing it again. Inevitably, I ask myself whether what I do with these boys is wrong. But I don't think it is. I try to be somebody important for them. They have no place where they can stay at this age. They have nobody taking care of them, and they miss it.

Do they ever feel pressured into going to bed with you because you care so much about them?

I don't believe this has ever really happened. Whether we have sex depends completely upon their willingness.

Were there any who tried to exploit you financially?

No. One boy once asked if he could borrow some money from me - ten or twenty crowns - but that is all. Of course I've lent money to them and forgot about it.

Young girls, do they appeal to you?

Once something happened, but that was a long time ago. 

How about gay men of your own age?

They don't attract me at all.

What happens when you've had relations with a boy and he begins to grow older?

When they become 16-17, they begin to be adults. So my interest in them lessens. It is only fair to admit that.

And do you stop the contact?

Yes. But in many cases they continue to visit me. In certain cases we have continued our relationship until they get married. And I'm still in contact with two or three old boy-friends who are now in their late twenties or early thirties. Some boys still come to me when they have problems with their girl friends. I try to help them solve their problems. I have the impression that not very many are able to discuss subjects like sex and love with their parents.

Do you find your life satisfying?

I am indeed happy in the company of boys. They give me a lot, emotionally and otherwise. But I do sometimes feel a need to talk with an adult.

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