Ok, on a scale of 1 to 10, how normal is it for my almost 6 year old to play with himself? He used to do it when he was about 3 years old but i think it was more out of curiosity, now he gets under the covers and wiggles around for about 5 minutes and then comes out all sweaty. I asked him what he was doing and he said touching his privates. I called the PED just out of curiosity and she said that it is normal and that to make sure i tell him if he is going to do that he needs to do it alone and in private. Feedback please! Thank you.
Thank you so much for all the feedback, truly appreciate it! And BTW, i absolutely have a right to ask my son what kind of behavior he is engaging in. How would i be able to help him if i didnt know?
thanks again.
Absolutely normal. Just teach him that it's a private thing and that you don't want to watch or see him doing it. Instruct him that, since it's private, it can only happen in his bedroom with the door closed and he's alone or the bathroom.
Boys do this and they get erections when they watch TV ads and TV shows and more. Learning it's okay and where to touch it is a HUGE plus in anyone's books.
Your pediatrician is absolutely correct.
Based on the answers you'll get here, it's pretty common.
But it's not something that's ever come up with our son.
Either he doesn't or he's just very private about it to begin with - so we're not aware of it.
Kudos to you for calling your ped, that is what peds are there for!
It is very normal for boys his age to do this. I would follow the doctor's advice and continue to ask your son to do this alone. You can decide where "alone" is---his bedroom, the bathroom, wherever. If you find him engaging in this behavior elsewhere, you can redirect him b saying something like "Remember, we talked about this, and it's something we do in private."
Try not to make hime feel bad, because masturbation is something most people do and is normal.
They don't all do it at 6, but for those who do, it's completely normal. My kid was definitely doing it around 7, maybe earlier.
Let him know it's normal, that it's his body, but that it's a private activity, not to be done in front of (or taught to) others. That's important - you don't want the phone call from another parent that your little Stevie is showing his technique to her little Bobby.
It's actually a good way to teach the concept of privacy in general, which helps keep kids from bursting into the bedroom or the bathroom of others.
My daughter did it more than my son does and we told her exactly what your PED said - it's ok, but it's private and it needs to be done in private. The phase passed - or rather, she got the message - and it's not an issue anymore.
10. Not every kid does it, but yeah, they do.
Well, of course it's normal. Doesn't your husband touch his too? I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but ALL guys love their penises and it feels good when they touch them.
You do not want to shame your son for it. If you do, he'll have hangups about sex when he's an adult. And you don't want to hurt his self-esteem or his future sexual relationship with his wife.
Listen to your ped. She is right (like peds are about most things.)
It's normal and yes, he should be doing that in private only, and you should not ask him about it.
It's perfectly normal, and not something to be discouraged.
The exact right thing to do was make sure he knew that he needed privacy.
Once they discover that touching their bits feels good, the game is on. And girls do it too.
