1 year, 2 months ago
What do you do when your 6yr old gets an erection?
He has been getting them a lot lately, and I know its normal for young boys as well as babies to get them, just a reaction to excitement I guess. I know that sexual organs are not present - so it can't be anything sexual. Also, I find him with his hands in his pants more often - think Al Bundy from Married with Children! Literally! Its so weird and I don't know what to do.
Do I say something? What do I say? How to explain what it is? How to get it to go away?
Do I say something? What do I say? How to explain what it is? How to get it to go away?
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M$4 Answers
It is perfectly normal for little boys to have erections (even male babies in the womb can have an erection.) Children become curious about their bodies and the bodies of others. It is perfectly normal for a child to touch him/herself. They usually do so because they are exploring what their body does and because it simply feels good.
If you notice your child touching himself in public simply tell him he should wait until he is alone to do that. If you make a big deal of the situation he may become ashamed and have issues when he gets older or he may simply become rebellious and act it out more often, (and in public).
As your child ages you will be able to have more talks, age appropriate talks about this topic.
(I have a MS in Family Studies and Human Development)
If you notice your child touching himself in public simply tell him he should wait until he is alone to do that. If you make a big deal of the situation he may become ashamed and have issues when he gets older or he may simply become rebellious and act it out more often, (and in public).
As your child ages you will be able to have more talks, age appropriate talks about this topic.
(I have a MS in Family Studies and Human Development)
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M$
It's totally normal, so first of all exhale. Will he grow out of it, yes, to a degree. You have to let him know that putting his hands down his pant in public is not appropriate. You probably will find your son wetting his bed if not all ready. This too is common. If the problem persist to where you feel uncomfortable, I do suggest a child psychologist.
They do out grow it and move on to cutting out women in bras and underwear as they hit puberty. I know all of this from experience. You don't have to make a big huge deal about it UNLESS it gets out of hand.
So you play what we all play, the patience game. Wait and see how he develops. You'll then take your cue from there. Right now, mom, exhale, it's normal. It's even normal for him to show off his little wee-wee to girls at a party. Not kidding. Been there, seen that.
So exhale. Relax. Wait.
They do out grow it and move on to cutting out women in bras and underwear as they hit puberty. I know all of this from experience. You don't have to make a big huge deal about it UNLESS it gets out of hand.
So you play what we all play, the patience game. Wait and see how he develops. You'll then take your cue from there. Right now, mom, exhale, it's normal. It's even normal for him to show off his little wee-wee to girls at a party. Not kidding. Been there, seen that.
So exhale. Relax. Wait.
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M$
This is no big deal. Little boys have erections all the time and it is just part of growing. I sure that this has been happening all along and you just haven't noticed it. Don't make this into something because it is totally normal. If you are freaking out about this, talk with your doctor. He too will tell you it's no big thing.
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M$
A CHILD LIVES IN HIS OWN WORLD - As a father of a 3-year-old, I have noticed that the moment you tell a kid, 'don't do this!,' the curiosity for attempting that action again by him increases many a times. One thing is sure for kids that they do not want to be spoon-fed by us. They want to know and explore and judge and experience this world more than any adult. They don't like us interfering in their quest for it. They have a world of their own. They derive happiness from little things. They do not care about public opinion or mannerism. They hardly rate things as good and bade. They don't like labeling things. Whatever feels them good is good and what otherwise is bad to them at a given point in time.
SIGN OF EXCITEMENT – You are right in that it is nothing sexual, it is just excitement. The genitals to kids are just like any other body part. A 6-year-old playing with his own body part that too under his by pants. To him, it is just like for example sucking his thumb. Nothing bad in it. You have to find a very good reason to stop this kid from doing this.
IS IT SO WEIRD – It might look weird to most but it is not. It is just a normal reaction of a child to play with his genital organ. It is weird to us because we have been conditioned from centuries that if we want to become and look civilized then there are certain things we should do/or not do like keeping our private parts hidden. We have social norms, mannerism and code of conduct. Being a social animal, we have to take care of these things and train and teach our kids to follow them like we do.
WHAT TO DO – Yes! It is the parents and teachers who should take initiative to tell the kids regarding curiosities about their sex organs or else someone will feed them with ‘God knows what!’
WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY/HOW TO EXPLAIN – Healthy and friendly communication is the best way to deal with this kind of situation. Talk to the kid about this behavior. Ask how he feels about it. Ask everything related to it without offending or annoying him or him feeling ashamed of. Tell him this is no big deal! Tell him that it is normal to have such a feeling (don’t use the word erection) but we don’t want to do it in public not because it is something ‘bad’ but simply it does not look good. Just like when we follow table manners when we sit to eat, we follows rules while we are in school, we follow rules when we are in traffic, the same way we do not do certain things. As simple as it is. Tell him he should be open and frank to you and would come to you whenever he wants to talk about it.
You can check for further information regarding kids behavior related to sex and sex organs and queries at
http://www.parenting.com/article/talking-to-kids-about-sex-21335549
Sources
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_-MwLsNIpG3j76dVftS9FO8zTBUTfWr7AtezNPqZ4rb6su3AXeA
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPHPhw5ZczT36KO6z-OwWMvkkqNYwVWJ-ZERihMdSXWWoMjC19
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTm8Tw-EElyo2XunItZvF4HkJ0BZwqZN46f9-HCC8YEYgPkrUW3
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR16R8DOY0e3XaHGLtbbEcCRghBaSNLhRrsVfsS2vQ1Rwcn5dF8Sw
SIGN OF EXCITEMENT – You are right in that it is nothing sexual, it is just excitement. The genitals to kids are just like any other body part. A 6-year-old playing with his own body part that too under his by pants. To him, it is just like for example sucking his thumb. Nothing bad in it. You have to find a very good reason to stop this kid from doing this.
IS IT SO WEIRD – It might look weird to most but it is not. It is just a normal reaction of a child to play with his genital organ. It is weird to us because we have been conditioned from centuries that if we want to become and look civilized then there are certain things we should do/or not do like keeping our private parts hidden. We have social norms, mannerism and code of conduct. Being a social animal, we have to take care of these things and train and teach our kids to follow them like we do.
WHAT TO DO – Yes! It is the parents and teachers who should take initiative to tell the kids regarding curiosities about their sex organs or else someone will feed them with ‘God knows what!’
WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY/HOW TO EXPLAIN – Healthy and friendly communication is the best way to deal with this kind of situation. Talk to the kid about this behavior. Ask how he feels about it. Ask everything related to it without offending or annoying him or him feeling ashamed of. Tell him this is no big deal! Tell him that it is normal to have such a feeling (don’t use the word erection) but we don’t want to do it in public not because it is something ‘bad’ but simply it does not look good. Just like when we follow table manners when we sit to eat, we follows rules while we are in school, we follow rules when we are in traffic, the same way we do not do certain things. As simple as it is. Tell him he should be open and frank to you and would come to you whenever he wants to talk about it.
You can check for further information regarding kids behavior related to sex and sex organs and queries at
http://www.parenting.com/article/talking-to-kids-about-sex-21335549
Sources
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_-MwLsNIpG3j76dVftS9FO8zTBUTfWr7AtezNPqZ4rb6su3AXeA
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPHPhw5ZczT36KO6z-OwWMvkkqNYwVWJ-ZERihMdSXWWoMjC19
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTm8Tw-EElyo2XunItZvF4HkJ0BZwqZN46f9-HCC8YEYgPkrUW3
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR16R8DOY0e3XaHGLtbbEcCRghBaSNLhRrsVfsS2vQ1Rwcn5dF8Sw
images:
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M$
Thank you for that. Seeing that you have a degree in this, it makes me feel better knowing that its normal. Thank you for that!