Masturbation
Is it common for young children to "masturbate"?
It's very common for children to masturbate. Masturbation is a form of self exploration. The misconception is that this is a sexual thing and it's really not. Masturbation is children exploring themselves and it does feel good. It's very normal for all age groups.
How do children learn about masturbation?
Really, they teach themselves how to masturbate because it is a self-exploration. It's not that they saw how to masturbate somewhere or they're mimicking somebody. But you'll even see infants putting their hand in their diaper and playing with their penis or their genitals, and you'll see maybe even little boys or little girls rubbing their genitals on a pillow or a couch. And these are all just forms of self-exploration, and it feels good, and overall masturbation is very normal.
What should I do if I find my child masturbating?
If you find your child masturbating, you really should not make a big deal of it. It's good for them to know that masturbation is normal, and I think the biggest thing is not to make it a big deal but to set limits. By setting limits you want to let your child know that masturbation is ok but that they should do it only in specific places. So if they are masturbating at school, or in the playground, or with friends then it is something that you may want to say that, it is ok but if you want to do that then you need to go in your room or do it at home, things like that. Otherwise it is best not to make a big deal over masturbation.
What should I tell my child about masturbation?
With young children who masturbate, you don't really need to go over the whole process of explanation, because it's more of self-exploration than sexual behavior. The biggest thing is just letting them know that masturbation is okay, supporting them, and letting them know the places where it's okay to do it.
Are there any risks to children who masturbate at a young age?
There are no risks to children masturbating at a young age. They're not going to hurt themselves. They're not going to cause any damage. It's not going to make them a specific behavior later on in life. Again, self-exploration, it's okay. The other thing you do always just want to check is some boys and girls will rub their genitals because it's itchy, they have a rash, they have irritation. So, you do want to look in that area just to make sure nothing else medical is going on around. But, if this is just a repetitive behavior that they're doing, and they're doing it in the appropriate place, it's okay.
