According to very trusted psychological studies (specifically The Kinsey Institute New Report on Sex), most children are masturbating to erotic fantasies by the age of 7-9.

This disgusts me more than anything I have ever known of in my life.

I understand that masturbation is healthy and sexual repression is unhealthy, but I believe that childhood is a stage where innocence should be enjoyed, and sexual attraction should be left to puberty and onwards, when it serves a role in biological/mental coming of age.

I guess I feel guilty that I'm clinging to a belief that does not seem to be rational. All concrete psychological evidence says that I should feel perfectly fine with children masturbating and feeling sexual attraction years and years before the onset of puberty, and that this is in fact the norm.

I guess what I'm asking for is either a way to come to terms with the sexual nature of children, or a way to love innocence without feeling negative emotions due to the fact that it is incredibly scarce and not the norm. I find innocence more beautiful than anything, and I care about preserving it more than anything; it should be lost when appropriate, and I don't feel the 7-9 age bracket is appropriate at all, although evidence says it's normal and healthy.

By the way, although this sounds like a very Christian/Catholic belief, I am not particularly religious at all and was not raised in a religious family. Christian/Catholic teachings absolutely were not the cause of my feelings. I don't remember ever being taught to love innocence and be disgusted by its loss; thinking back, I believe I just naturally came to it, probably as early as 10 years old. I am also not Conservative or very tradition-driven; as you can tell, I must have a good logical reason to feel a feeling or believe a belief. When I don't, I feel horrible.