child abuse or curiosity?

Question

My friend's 7 year old daughter has been grabbing her 6 year old brother penis. He gets very upset...understandably...she has been doing this 2 or 3 times a year for like 3 years...where do you think she would get this behaviour? Do you think its possible she was abused?? Or could it be just simple curiousity? She has been talked to and yelled at...but still continues...to the point she did it at the babysitters house getting the babysitters two daughters to do it as well...any suggestions?

Answer 1

At 7 years old she should know better than to do this after she has been told time and time again it is wrong, I think maybe her mother should have a talk with her and ask her if anyone has been messing with her, take her to the dr and have her checked

Answer 2

Talk to her some more ...then talk to her again. If this behavior continues counseling may be a good idea.
I cant judge if this child has been abused but the possibility is always there in issues like this.
Let her know that "bad touching" is UNACCEPTABLE and will NOT be tollerated. Then define "bad touching" so there are no questions.
At age 3 to 7 ( 7 being the older end of the scale)kids tend to get curious about what boys/girls have "down there" that differs from themselves. This could be normal behavior. But you say its been going on for 3 years and its progressing......Id do the talking thing then counseling ...maybe shes frightened to discuss it honestly with someone close. A counselor will have a different approach then someone involved in this. Plus they will have a professional background in such issues. And will be able to provide feedback to help the situation.

Answer 3

It is very common for children around this age to "experiment". It is understandable how the son is upset with this behaviour however making a big fuss out of it will only make the daughter react and the situation worse. She is 7 so perhaps if you feel it is abuse you could talk to her as she will understand somewhat, your feelings and I am sure you should be able to tell what is going on inside her. I don't think that this is really anything to be that concerned about... she is just curious... Good luck!

Answer 4

She really probably just wants to upset her brother. The first time she probably did not expect a big reaction but when he got mad she thought it was funny. She really does not seem to do it often and if she does it more often then that it makes sense too.

I highly doubt it was child abuse. She is old enough to know not to do something she shouldn't but at the same time. Try to explain to a 6 year old why she doesn't have the same anatomy as her brother. She does not really understand that. Heck it took me a long time before i understood anything about that region. She should be told not to firmly though because if she does not realize it is a serious offense she will continue to do it.

Answer 5

She's seven... she should know by now not to do things when she is told AND most importantly, to respect the feelings of others.
I have experienced that yelling at a child and talking to it without no sufficient information only stimulates the child to do so. So maybe the parents should have a sit down with her and ASK the child why she keeps doing that to her little brother. It could be abuse, but it could be something else.
Either way, she needs help or a good spanking (just kidding)

Answer 6

At 7 years old you should know the difference from right and wrong...if it was a toddler i could understand...you need to dig deeper cuz it is not normal for a 7 year old that understands that boys are different to be curious enuf to touch it. I think you need to ask her what went on or if anything did go on or take her to see a counselor because sometimes it helps if the child doesnt know that person well, I was abused as a child and got threatened that is the number one reason a child doesnt talk, assure her nothing will happen to her if she tells the truth..Good Luck

Answer 7

has she been asked if anybody has been playing with her naughty spots i dont think at her age she is exploring what another has. if one is really worried and she wont say anything then maybe she should be taken to the doctors for a check up my sister thought her 5 yr old daughter was being messed with and they did a little look and that was it . Thing is dont yell at her or punish her for doing this just tell her that people are not allowed to touch other peoples privates its not acceptable let her know nobody is allowed to touch down there cept for the doctor.I know you may think oh my god then the doctor may think its being allowed but some parents have no clue it is happening or has happened .

Answer 8

Sounds like she is enjoying the reaction she gets. I used to kick my brother in the testicles just to watch him cry. My dad finally put a stop to it, but I don't think it was anything more than a firm talking to. I think your friend needs to be very stern and consistent with the punishment for this behavior. Whenever she does it, whether mom sees it or not, it should be the same punishment. There should also be rewards for days when she doesn't grab him, eventually the positive reinforcement should win out.

Answer 9

I think that you need to contact Department of Human Services for an investigation. The thing with abuse is when a child is experiencing any kind of abuse they will repaet it until they get help. so you may want to check into is the Dad there alone with the little girl stuff like that . You do need to do someting about this because it is a major problem

Answer 10

Well my opinion would be that maybe she seen it on television. It could also be curiosity. It could have been done to her what I would do is maybe just maybe take her to a doctor and have her checked to see if maybe she has been abused by someone. If that doesn't work then jsut talk to her about it and explain to her that what she is doing is not very nice and that little girls should not do that.I wouldn't yell at her anymore I'd jusst talk to her and see if I could explian it to her.