Editing Anthony Perkins (section)

===After his father's death, 1937–1947===
[[File:TeenageAnthonyPerkins.png|thumb|Perkins in a school photograph, 1940s]]

After his father's death, Perkins was once again surrounded entirely by women. A consistent female companion in Perkins's life was burgeoning playwright Michaela O'Harra, whom his mother had taken a liking to. Perkins's childhood friend, [[John Kerr (actor)|John Kerr]], recalled the relationship between O'Harra and Perkins's mother: "My mother said–I don't know if she used the word lesbian{{nbsp}}... but that was just [what it felt like] to me: 'Oh, they're having a lesbian relationship.' You know, something like that." Although her [[sexuality]] has been disputed, it is widely agreed that Perkins's mother was not heterosexual.<ref name=Biography>''Anthony Perkins: a Life in the Shadows'' [[The Biography Channel|Biography]]. (January 11, 1999).</ref>{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=15}} It was also during that time that Perkins's mother began to [[Sexual abuse|sexually abuse]] him. "She was constantly touching me and caressing me. Not realizing what effect she was having, she would touch me all over, even stroking the inside of my thighs right up to my crotch." The behavior continued into his adulthood.<ref name=People/>

In 1942, when Perkins was ten, the family moved to [[Boston]]. Due to her connections in the theatre industry, his mother was able to gain a position at the nearby [[American Theatre Wing]]'s Boston Stage Door Canteen. She managed much of the canteen's activities, and the job gave the pair money to live on.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=25}} On days when she was busy, Perkins was sent to stay with his grandmother.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=26}} Due to his mother's neglect, Perkins began to rebel at the overcrowded [[Public school (United States)|public school]] he was attending, and was labelled a "gifted drifter". To quell his rebellious habits, his mother shipped him to [[Brooks School]],{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=27}} forty minutes outside of Boston. The placement was disastrous: Perkins's childhood habit of [[stuttering]] returned, and he shied away from any athletic pursuits. His mother, however, forced him into playing baseball. It was the first time in his life that Perkins was singled out,{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=28}} and the resulting pressure led to long absences from school during his second year after suffering back-to-back cases of [[scarlet fever]]. Subsequently, Perkins sank to the bottom of his class.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=29}} He soon made a deal with his mother that if he got good grades, she would allow him to return to Boston the next year for schooling. That year, Perkins ranked in the top third of his class. His headmaster commented: "Tony Perkins is considerably more mature than the rest of his contemporaries, and is impatient with many of their schoolboy interests." Perkins was allowed to transfer.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=29}}