at a loss!!?

Question

my 2 year old has a tendency to play with his genitals because it tickles he says at first i figured he was just experimenting but i think its starting to get out of hand i feel like his pedit. is blowing me off when i ask, help!

Answer 1

honestly I have 4 boys and the bigger deal you make of it the more he'll enjoy it. Perhaps too, if he is not potty trained yet, he is also getting used to feeling the tingling sensation of having to pee. Now might be a good time to start introducing the potty if you haven't yet. I mean imagine being cooped up in a diaper all day.

Answer 2

The word you can use with him is "private" (or "privacy").

Tell him that it's okay to do this tickling thing, but those are his "private parts" and he needs to do it in private. Then explain where he can go to be "private". (Like the bathroom. If you make this his bedroom, he might develop going-to-bed problems).

It's a perfectly normal thing. And also something that will be over with soon. He'll decide he'd rather keep playing with the train set or the cars or whatever, instead of getting up to go to his private place.

But by giving him a permissible boundary, you've not negated the whole thing nor made him feel "bad" about it. This also takes away any control issues between the both of you about this. You affirm that it's his body, and you also set the socially acceptable boundaries. End of issue.

The "private" word will come in handy again later after potty training is finished (as well as when YOU finally get to use the bathroom undisturbed!), and also when it's time to teach about "safe touch". (Those are your private parts, and only Mommy and Daddy and the doctor are allowed to look at them).

Answer 3

Your son has found something that feels good and that he will probably do from time to time for the rest of his life. There is little you can do to stop the behavior...it is totally natural. However, now is the time to teach him where and when that behavior is appropriate.

When you catch him in a tickle at home, very calmly say "I see you like to tickle. If you want to do that, you need to do it in your room. That is something private". If it happens outside the house, take him quietly to the side. Don't yell or draw attention. Once you have his attention in a quiet spot simply say " I know you like the way it feels when you tickle yourself. But that is something we do at home, in private. We don't do that when we are out at the mall or with other people." When you are done, go back to the group but be sure to involve him in an activity. Stay consistent, stay calm and over time the behavior will stop being a public display and will become something he chooses to do in private.

Answer 4

Relax-this is normal and you should just Not Make a issue of it-at this age discovering body, feeling and so on. Since it feels good he will do it-natural thing to do. But if he does when other people .including children are around then quietly take him by the hand and in private tell him it is Not appropriate to do when other people are around because it is a private thing. Do not forbid esp state that it is bad or worse that he is bad-for eventually he'll do less on his own. Did Foster care for many years and this subject came up and am passing on to you what was told to me by the therapist(Psychologist),he also informed that parents are usually shocked but there is a lot of sexual feeling ,etc going on in the very young and to scold,forbid ,spank ,tell the child he /she is bad,doing a bad thing will/can have negative repercussions for the child can grow up thinking sex is dirty,bad and have difficulty in relationships. The less you say and only when necessary the less the child will do and the healthier in regards to sex the child will grow

Answer 5

This is natural they have this thing bobbing around and it sure does get sensations but this doesnt mean play with it any time you want. I swear my boys were really trying to pull it right off. But gently reminding them to quit doing that repeatedly was the simplest answer. Maybe he just got potty trained? Different underwear maybe the answer. Dont forget to let them know why they shouldnt do that all time because of course they see nothing wrong w/ it. He WILL grow out of it. And hes not trying to be dirty. But I dont think do nothing and leave him alone is the answer. Things you have to teach your kids huh?

Answer 6

LOL, that reminds me. My friend used to go behind the TV and play with himself when company came over. He was 3. His parents were good Christians and very active in the church. It was such an embarrassment! Luckily he grew out of it when he was about 4, till puberty hit of course.
When my son used to play with himself all the time me and my husband told him it was ok to touch himself all he wanted when he was alone, but it was improper to do it in front of other people. He was about 2 when we told him that and he hasn't done it in front of anyone since.

Answer 7

here's an even better one after getting out of the tub the other day my 4year old started playing with his Lil guy when i asked him what he was doing he said it felt good then proceeded to tell me it wasn't big enough he wanted a big pee pee like daddy where i had to hold my laughs in to the point it hurt and tell him when he is tall like daddy and works like daddy and has a family like daddy he will have a big pee pee like daddy , bottom line it is ingrained in men/boys to touch and just like any kid to explore and push the limits maybe you can and i know this sounds weird BC he is only 2, but sit down with him and let him know its ok and there is a time and place to be touching it. don't make him feel ashamed it is perfectly natural and sooner then later he will find something else to play with

Answer 8

My son did it too. He said it was sticking to him and he had to move it. It is a natural thing, i just told him to do it in the bathroom or his bedroom, that it was bad manners to do it in front of other people, and to wash his hands after so he does'nt spread germs. he out grew it though, it lasted about a year.

Answer 9

my 3 yr old daughter was real bad bout playing with herself too.i had to tell her that she can only do that when she is not around ppl other when shes in the bathroom cause she would do it in public too.i told her if she itches to go to the bathroom and scratch it.if i catch her reaching in her panties in public i take her hand out and pop it telling her "you cant do that around ppl.other ppl might not want to see that" and she will stop.but NEVER tell a kid that its wrong or dirty cause my parents told me that growing up and when i got to be a teenager(when usually a teen starts expermenting with that) i was scared to do anything cause i was afraid that its dirty and wrong.i didnt know what to do so i asked around and got poked fun at and everything cause what my parents taught me when i was little.Please dont teach them that cause it really will mess them up in the long run.espelly when they ask around about it trying to find out why its wrong and dirty.

Answer 10

He's not blowing you off. It's natural for kids to do that. Just like it feels good to you, it feels good to them. Just teach him that he should do that when he's alone. Don't make him feel bad or ashamed because of it.