Masturbation At A Young Age??? Help

Hey Hope You Can Help
My 4 y.o son is at that age where he is very curious about things and a
few nights ago i saw him touching his genitals and I told him that if
he wanted to do that he had to go up to his room and then a few days
later I caught him rubbing himself against the couch.
I asked him why he was doing it and he said it felt good...-_-
He keeps doing it frequently now. What should I tell him? I don't want
him to feel insecure about his body.
Thanks a lot.

Hi --

At the age of 4 your son probably knows about private vs. public
activities, right? Such as, we use the toilet in private, and we have
private parts on our bodies? Even if he hasn't kept private himself,
he's certainly seen adults maintain some body privacy by now.

So just tell him that what he's doing is a private thing. He can do it
in his room when he's by himself, but he can't do it elsewhere nor in
public.

If you catch him rubbing himself in the living room, or in public, just
send him to his room directly (if you're at home) or remind him to stop.

LOTS of things feel good that we don't do in public. THis is just
another on the list.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Mommy_123 wrote:
Hey Hope You Can Help
My 4 y.o son is at that age where he is very curious about things and a
few nights ago i saw him touching his genitals and I told him that if
he wanted to do that he had to go up to his room and then a few days
later I caught him rubbing himself against the couch.
I asked him why he was doing it and he said it felt good...-_-
He keeps doing it frequently now. What should I tell him? I don't want
him to feel insecure about his body.
Thanks a lot.
Don't worry. Scientists say the rapid growth period both in brain and
body occurs at this time. It shows he is normal but if he keeps doing
it frequently you had better buy a furry doll or a soft bouncy ball for
him to play with ,because he may like the soft furry things .
Play more games with him or let him play with the other children to
transfer his attention. And you should tell him " If you continue doing
this, I won't give you any sweets."
Tulip Fan

In article . com,
"Mommy_123" wrote:

Hey Hope You Can Help
My 4 y.o son is at that age where he is very curious about things and a
few nights ago i saw him touching his genitals and I told him that if
he wanted to do that he had to go up to his room and then a few days
later I caught him rubbing himself against the couch.
I asked him why he was doing it and he said it felt good...-_-
He keeps doing it frequently now. What should I tell him? I don't want
him to feel insecure about his body.
Thanks a lot.


That masturbation is normal, something lots of people do because it
feels good, but not something that should be done in public. It's a
private thing.

--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

"Mommy_123" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hey Hope You Can Help
My 4 y.o son is at that age where he is very curious about things and a
few nights ago i saw him touching his genitals and I told him that if
he wanted to do that he had to go up to his room and then a few days
later I caught him rubbing himself against the couch.
I asked him why he was doing it and he said it felt good...-_-
He keeps doing it frequently now. What should I tell him? I don't want
him to feel insecure about his body.
Thanks a lot.

This sounds like perfectly natural behavior. I would tell him that this is
perfectly natural, like going to the bathroom. But, when you go to the
bathroom, you need privacy. And this should be done in the bathroom or
bedroom.

I although this sounds perfectly natural and I don't think anything is
wrong, masturbation is a sign of sexual abuse. If there are other behavior
changes, I would consider that this might be going on. I would also make
sure that is no signs up trauma around his anus or other private parts, just
to be sure.

Jeff

In article . net,
"Jeff" wrote:

"Mommy_123" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hey Hope You Can Help
My 4 y.o son is at that age where he is very curious about things and a
few nights ago i saw him touching his genitals and I told him that if
he wanted to do that he had to go up to his room and then a few days
later I caught him rubbing himself against the couch.
I asked him why he was doing it and he said it felt good...-_-
He keeps doing it frequently now. What should I tell him? I don't want
him to feel insecure about his body.
Thanks a lot.

This sounds like perfectly natural behavior. I would tell him that this is
perfectly natural, like going to the bathroom. But, when you go to the
bathroom, you need privacy. And this should be done in the bathroom or
bedroom.

I although this sounds perfectly natural and I don't think anything is
wrong, masturbation is a sign of sexual abuse.

No -- excessive masturbation MAY be a sign of sexual abuse.

The way you've phrased it makes it sound like any child masturbating
must have been sexually abused. I know you didn't mean that, but wanted
to make sure that anyone reading this knows that it is by no means a
certain sign that a child has been molested!

If there are other behavior
changes, I would consider that this might be going on. I would also make
sure that is no signs up trauma around his anus or other private parts, just
to be sure.

Jeff



--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

Tell him furniture is for adults.

Mommy_123 wrote:

Hey Hope You Can Help
My 4 y.o son is at that age where he is very curious about things and a
few nights ago i saw him touching his genitals and I told him that if
he wanted to do that he had to go up to his room and then a few days
later I caught him rubbing himself against the couch.
I asked him why he was doing it and he said it felt good...-_-
He keeps doing it frequently now. What should I tell him? I don't want
him to feel insecure about his body.
Thanks a lot.