4 Year Old Son and Girls

L. it probally does have to do with your 15 yr old brother. Like they say monkey see monkey do. My daughter is in first grade and last year and this year she talks the same way about boys being hot. She even holds hands with them on the carpet for story time. I think if you raise him right and talk to him about what is appropiate then he will get it. I talk to my daughter and i keep planting the words of god in her head and thats about all you can do. Puppy love i have a older daughter also and she really thinks its funny and alot of the things that come out of my younger daughters mouth came out of her older sisters mouth also. Just keep on doing what your doing and i m sure he will be fine.

I feel you! I have a 16 year old son and a five year old son! The 5 yr old says things like that sometimes too. He adores his big sister (also 16) and that helps him to understand that girls are more than what you SEE. Be patient, unfortunately they will pick up expressions that they hear, but they don't really understand the implications of what they are repeating just yet. My older son is very respectful of women and he does notice the outward appearance (of course!) but he gets to know the inside too. It is ALL in the parenting. Don't rush this lesson, it takes time to learn.

I think you are doing eveything proper and it's important to instill the christian morals into our children today. I have a 4 year old daughter who prefers to paly with boys too. I think it very normal, she calls them her boyfriends and we tell her they are boys that are her friends. I think they hear other kids say things adn they just pick up on it, monkey see monkey do that someone else said...You are doing great!

It sounds to me like your doing a great job with this issue. I would also if you haven't already talk with your younger brother and explain to him that he shouldn't talk to your son as if he were talking to another one of his friends. I also have a younger brother and I experience some of the same situations. My son is three and my brother is twelve.

My 5 and a half yo son really likes girls too. He is in a Christian Preschool and they are really strict about what kids say...and I am glad for that. But he will hear phrases on tv..and he mainly watches Nicolodean and Disney...that are inappropiate in school. He got in trouble for calling one girl a "hot Mama" which I told him was wrong and don't call anybody anything but their name. Her mom made a bigger deal out of it then I thought it called for ...then I remembered that her daughter was the same one saying she had 16 boyfriends..so I think he was accurate..LOL Anyhoo..they repeat what they hear at this age and what they think is cool.
My son does love to play with girls...but more so the ones who like to run away when he is a dino..or like Scooby Doo :) Just be careful what infuences are in his life....make sure your brother realizes how much your son looks up to him. Alot of people think Boyfriend/Girlfriend is cute at this age..but I believe it is not to be encouraged..since in a few yrs they can get in trouble when they are not a cute 4 or 5yo. Teach him to look at girls as sisters in Christ...and to respect them as such...by being gentle with them and not saying anything that would hurt their feelings. But I have also seen that some girls his age....and I'm sure it is a learned behavior..like to play things like kissing games...I tell him to stay away from those girls if they won't stop...cause they will get HIM in trouble...stick to the one that likes Scooby Doo ;)

In my opinion, his interest has absolutely nothing to do with sex or God. It boils down to curiosity. He's noticed that there are differences in the genders - not necessarily sexual - girls wear different clothes, play with different toys, have long hair, etc. Unless he's being exposed to sexualized material on TV or wherever, he's pretty incapable, as a 4-year-old, to have thoughts like that right now. A kid that young has NO frame of reference for sexual material, nor are their waaay prepubescent bodies having physical sexual reactions. Making him feel ashamed about his curiosity would be the worst thing to do because later on, when he does have those feelings, he's not going to want to consult you about them, leaving him either to get information from his peers or older boys (both not the best option). You want to have control over the knowledge he gains about sex, so keep the lines of communication open and be as candid and up front as possible with him when he has questions, so that he can trust you to be his source for that information. Instead of admonishing your son for saying girls are hot, it's a better approach to talk to your brother about curbing that behavior around him.

But he sounds absolutely adorable and sweet! Enjoy him while he's little!