In Focus: The pedophile next door (PressHerald.com)

In Focus: The pedophile next door (PressHerald.com)

Like many forms of sexual deviance, pedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it as a sexual orientation as immutable as heterosexuality or homosexuality. It is a deep-rooted predisposition -- limited almost entirely to men -- that becomes clear during puberty and does not change.

The best estimates are that between 1 percent and 5 percent of men are pedophiles, meaning that they have a dominant attraction to prepubescent children.

Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters pedophiles.

As a young boy, Paul Christiano loved the world of girls - the way they danced, how their spindly bodies tumbled in gymnastics. In adolescence, as other boys ogled classmates, he was troubled to find himself fantasizing about 7- to 11-year-olds. His desires remained stuck in time as he neared adulthood. Despite a stable home life in suburban Chicago, he was tortured by urges he knew could land him in prison.

"For having these feelings, I was destined to become a monster," he said. "I was terrified."

His mother, Jennifer Christiano, said that as far back as she could remember, he had always been different from other boys -- an odd and creative soul who loved to perform and seemed to worship his female classmates.

"I can't tell you how hard it is," she said. "He's my only child. He'll never truly be happy. He'll never have someone he can truly love and who can love him back."

I think, I can find someone I can truly love and who can love me back. But it is hard to find such person.