Q:
Recently, I am deeply troubled by the abnormal behavior of my 6-year-old daughter. She has been touching her own genitals over the past year. She did it again after a while after I stopped her. She asked, "Why not?" I don&39;t know how to answer. What should I do?
A:
Parents of the new generation may have realized very early that discussing "sex" with their children is no longer a taboo, but a necessary topic. However, when children ask questions about sex, or even when you accidentally discover that your children are curious about sex and show behaviors such as touching other people&39;s bodies, kissing, lifting girls&39; skirts, or taking off each other&39;s pants..., it is inevitable that you will feel a little embarrassed and don&39;t know how to deal with it.
Children touch their own genitals as early as infancy. At first, a 4-month-old baby just explores the body, and slowly, he finds that touching the genitals will feel pleasant. This is why babies aged 1 to 2 like to play with their genitals. However, when young children touch themselves, it is not a "sexual" desire as adults think, but a simpler curiosity, self-exploration, and a way to understand their own bodies. As for 6-year-old children, they are already at a stage of being quite curious about sex. They will see men and women hugging, expressing admiration or love for each other on TV and movies, and often imitate some behaviors, but touching sexual organs is not due to imitation. Therefore, when parents discover their children&39;s behavior, they must not assume that they have learned bad things from others.
Both boys and girls have had this behavior in the process of growing up. We can tell children that this is called "masturbation". This is everyone&39;s own little secret, so they will not do these things in front of others. At the same time, we can let children know that there are many fun things and they don&39;t need to pay special attention to their bodies. On the other hand, it is also necessary to tell children from a hygiene perspective: if you don&39;t wash your hands and keep touching your sexual organs, you may get infected and swollen, which will make you uncomfortable.
As long as parents can express their concern and do not blame their children for being dirty or learning bad things, children will not be more unable to restrain their behavior because of shame and resistance. On the other hand, parents also need to pay more attention to their children&39;s interests or encourage them to participate in activities so that their children will not be too bored and play by themselves.
