Childhood masturbation: causes, age, treatment. Masturbation
It is probably difficult to find a mother who would say that her child, wittingly or unwittingly, did not engage in masturbation. Most likely, someone might not have noticed. But this is unrealistic - not to pay attention to, accompanied by certain body movements in children. This means that my mother saw it, but did not attach any importance to it. Or maybe she was embarrassed to take the child to a specialist. Or she didn’t want to touch the topic at all, saying that it would outgrow it and go away on its own...
Is such an oversight by a parent dangerous? They will now begin to calm us down from everywhere. Like, no, it’s not dangerous, it’s a natural process. And in general, it often happens to young children, because the phenomenon is common and harmless. What about the doctors? Don't panic...
But, have mercy, now, in childhood, this is a case, and with the correct behavior of parents, you can get rid of the misfortune. Although, given our busy schedule, this is doubtful. Well, what about adolescence and adult life? A harmful pathology, which we call a habit, will develop into neurosis and radically change a person. It ruins his life and negatively affects his psyche and physiology.
What to do if you notice that your child engages in handjob? What are reasons for the development of masturbation in children? Is it possible to somehow stop this process?
About masturbation in children
Yes, before you start talking about the reasons for the development of masturbation in children, etc., you need to know what kind of animal this is.
In short, we are talking about artificial irritation of the genitals for pleasure.
At what age do children start masturbating?
This is terrible, but, as practice shows, there is no age for children's masturbation. Some attentive mothers paid attention to the fact that their babies began to engage in it in the first year of life, almost from three to four months...
What does child masturbation look like?
There are enough classic manifestations of child masturbation. And one of them, as we have already noted, is artificial irritation of the genitals. But to find out whether your child suffers from this scourge, you need to watch him. Here are signs that may indicate that a child is masturbating:
- the baby regularly rubs one leg against another, crossing them and throwing them one on top of the other, blushing and groaning at the same time;
- can sway in concentration with a distant gaze, while rubbing actively and for a long time against the surface;
- a slightly older child, getting to know his body, can regularly touch his genitals with his hands;
- babies caress their entire bodies and kiss their mother, touching their genitals at these moments.
Causes of masturbation in children
There are many of them, and every attentive mother will add to the list of typical (physiological, psychological and spiritual) reasons. But let's focus on the key ones.
- Curiosity. Yes, children learn about themselves. And this is natural when they touch everything that comes to their hand, but this interest should not turn into a habit.
- Poor hygiene. Yes, baby can produce different actions in response to persistent itching in the genitals.
- The child wants to go to the toilet. This includes constipation and urinary retention. As a result, the tension caused by the rush of blood to the genitals spreads to the genitals, and children begin to look for a way to discharge.
- Allergy. It can also make the child want to put his hands in his panties again.
- Too tight swaddling or undersized underwear.
- Bad potty training experience. The child was punished when he endured and peed.
- Obsessive neurosis. It can be caused by the divorce of parents, a long separation from mom, and similar moments associated with experiences.
- Imitation. Having seen how adults engage in handjobs, children who are capable of imitation can try it out of interest and then constantly show it to their organs.
- Lack of parental attention. As a rule, we are talking about large families and conflict families. Children, feeling a lack of love for them, feeling unnecessary, drown out their grievances by constantly keeping their hands in their pants.
- Cruel punishment. Especially if children are punished regularly and for a long time, they defend themselves with onanistic games, thus discharging nervous tension. Children at such moments can involuntarily become sexually aroused.
- Force feeding. Surprised? Meanwhile, by forcing your child to eat when he doesn’t want to, you unwittingly activate the genital zones, which are associated with the mucous membranes of the lips and mouth.
- and the non-church life of parents. No comments…
Your reaction to manifestations of child masturbation
They say that childhood is not a diagnosis. Perhaps at a certain age - yes. But, if you notice that your child regularly experiences certain sensations with certain stimulation, take action. This is how parents should act in such moments.
- There is no need to panic, react violently to what you see, draw the child’s attention to the problem, or hit him. After all, children are pure and innocent. Therefore, the main thing here is tact and restraint, which will help to switch their attention to something else and talk to them later. In general, excessive attention to the situation will have the opposite effect.
- There is no need to intimidate if you catch your son or daughter in the act - he is already ashamed, and in general, threats are worse than masturbation itself. Naturally, don’t even think about hitting and punishing. On the contrary, you need to reassure, reassure that you still love.
- Do not focus the child’s attention on what happened, divert the conversation to the side (it is now useless), negating the growing interest in the habit of keeping your hands in your pants - a lot depends on your reaction.
- Answer his questions, even the most ridiculous ones, in your opinion.
- Having told a child who is able to understand this how harmful this habit is, clarify how vile this sin is before the Lord and that it must be confessed and bear the fruits of repentance.
Having understood the situation, do not let it take its course - it will not resolve on its own. Yes, the best way Your love and attention, as well as an action plan, will help you get through this period of physiological masturbation without any problems.
What to do
So, you understand that your child is not out of trouble. What to do? Much depends on age. After all, some recommendations will be given to a baby who is from three months to three years old, others - to a boy or girl who is already 6-7 years old and beyond. Schematically, your actions might look something like this.
- First of all, understand the reasons -. And, as we know, there are a lot of them, and in each case there is different advice. In short, you just need to carefully read the chapter above about the reasons for the development of masturbation in children.
- Second, immediately rule out causes of stimulation of the genital organs associated with diseases and age, among others. For example, pay attention more often, show your love, do not punish harshly, monitor your health and natural functions, buy comfortable underwear, do not allow the child to see intimate scenes, sleep for a long time or fall asleep, etc.
- Explain to your child in accessible language that what he is doing is ugly and harmful. Older children can be told about the physiological processes that cause itching (for example, the secretion of smegma (lubricant).
- When showing affection to your child, try not to overstep your boundaries so that he doesn’t get excited.
- Find ways to encourage your child to switch his activity in a good direction. This could be sports or hobby groups, outdoor games, communication with peers, conversation in interesting topics, joint trips to the theater, etc.
- If these measures do not help, and the child continues his studies, you need to take him to the clinic - the pediatrician will give a referral to the right specialist (this could be a psychologist, a neurologist, a specialized doctor, etc.).
- It is important to organize church life for a child so that, as he grows older, he can confess and bear the fruits of repentance.
So, the main thing in this problem is our, parental, shortcomings. And, if we deal with them in time, our children will grow up without bad habits and be successful in this life.
There are things that, although awkward, are necessary to talk about. For example, child masturbation. Many parents are left alone with this supposedly shameful problem of their child and begin to fight this phenomenon as best they can. They make mistakes along the way, and the masturbation only gets worse. Others study books and articles on the topic and search useful advice. What to do?
Masturbation or exploring your body?
The boy's diaper was being changed, and at that moment he pulled his penis. Is this considered masturbation? Children become familiar not only with the world around them, but also with their own bodies. But if, from early infancy, interest in all “decent” parts of the body is encouraged and the baby is asked to show again and again where his eyes and ears are, then any interest in the genitals causes concern for parents. Meanwhile, the baby is just as interested in them as, for example, arms and legs. And yet there is a difference. The genitals are penetrated by a rich network of nerve endings and have increased sensitivity, and touching them is usually pleasant. Children can become familiar with these sensations either by studying themselves and later taking examples from their peers, or completely by accident. For example, with constipation, due to tension, blood flows not only to the anus, but also to the genitals. Tight, tight clothing and thermal underwear can have the same effect. Excessively thorough hygiene procedures can cause pleasant sensations.
Childhood masturbation is more common in boys due to the structure of their genitals, but this phenomenon also occurs in girls.
Masturbation and sexuality
Many parents worry because they associate attention to the genitals with early development sexuality. They paint pictures of early sexual intercourse and, if pregnant, as well as an antisocial lifestyle, sexual deviations. There is no need to panic. Childhood masturbation is a very common phenomenon. But the reason for the early sexual relations or the development of deviations is extremely rare. Usually these phenomena have completely different reasons, which relate to the problems of the child’s social adaptation. Especially if child masturbation occurred between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Pleasant bodily sensations are not yet associated with attraction to the opposite sex, so this habit is almost similar to thumb sucking, heel scratching and other stimulation of sensitive places on the body.
Masturbation and neurosis
First, you need to try to distract the child. If he is easily distracted from this process, there is no need to sound the alarm. Another thing is that if it is difficult to distract a child and masturbation consumes him greatly, we may be talking about neurosis. Changes in the child’s behavior and condition should also alert you. If he begins to sleep worse, is more capricious, cries, suffers from fears, becomes nervous and aggressive, he has problems. You can contact a neurologist. In addition, most often children engage in masturbation secretly, but sometimes it happens that a child does it in public. This suggests that either he cannot control himself, or he deliberately provokes adults to negative reaction. Both of these indicate that the child is feeling unwell. In the first case, masturbation can be a symptom of neurosis and considered an obsessive action. In the second, the child has a clear problem in relationships with others, primarily parents. It is known that children who lack attention are ready to get it at any cost. For example, screaming, swearing and even corporal punishment are better for them than indifference. Therefore, when usually they are simply not noticed, they themselves provoke aggression.
How to react
First of all, react calmly. As you understand, nothing criminal is happening before your eyes. What if we're talking about about neurosis, then child masturbation is not a cause, but a consequence. You need to distract the child, but you shouldn’t show your horror or anger. In general, this habit should deserve as little attention as possible. Let the child not think that he is doing something special and terrible. Children who tend to provoke adults will only be called out for criticism. Quieter and fearful children will begin to consider themselves bad, and their self-esteem will drop. A person can take from childhood an attitude towards sex, sexuality as something dirty, shameful and then have problems in relationships, and not accept their genitals as part of themselves. All these problems can be combined in one child, and they are not always clearly visible.
It is important to create a calm environment. There should be no verbal, much less physical, aggression. Think about what might be causing your child stress. After all, very often children calm themselves down in this way. You can try keeping a diary and then analyze what events happened on the day when the child masturbated. Was the routine disrupted, was the baby too overloaded, or, conversely, was he exhausted from boredom? This will help to adjust the child’s lifestyle: in one case, reduce the load, in another, on the contrary, increase it.
Masturbation and itching
One of the reasons for child masturbation may be irritation in the genital area. The child experiences itching and begins to scratch the perineum. This process gives him pleasure, and he begins to call it again and again. Itching can be caused by uncomfortable clothing, but it can also be caused by certain diseases. In case of childhood masturbation, children are usually tested for worms and inflammation. In addition, irritation can be caused by food allergies, so some doctors in this case advise limiting particularly allergenic foods, such as citrus fruits and chocolate. Sometimes overfeeding a child can cause such a reaction, but in this case the reason is psychological - when food stops giving pleasure, the baby looks for another source of pleasure.
Treatment of masturbation in children
Sometimes doctors prescribe drug treatment with childhood masturbation, but most often it is enough to normalize the psychological situation and regime. In the presence of neurosis or diseases such as worms, inflammatory processes or allergies, the disease itself is subject to treatment. In the meantime, it is important to tidy up the child’s diet and not overfeed him.
Try to devote more time to him, since the habit is often formed from a lack of affection and attention. He should spend more time outdoors and communicate with friends more often.
Conversations with a psychologist
Masturbation in a small child. What to do?
Your baby is growing up, and then one day you notice that your son or daughter is touching his genitals. What is this? Natural childhood curiosity or a pathological habit - masturbation (masturbation)?
If a child is easily distracted from looking at and feeling his body parts, openly asks questions (for example, about the structure of the body, the difference between a man and a woman, between a girl and a woman), his behavior and normal sleep are not disturbed, then this is a natural step in development psyche, knowledge of the surrounding world and oneself. A surge of such interest occurs between the ages of 3 and 6 years, then subsides until adolescence. In this situation, it is enough for parents to behave tactfully, not to shame for natural curiosity, and to answer children's questions.
But if such child behavior is normal and even looking at children of the opposite sex is considered completely acceptable, what then is considered masturbation? When does the norm turn into pathology?
Let's start with the fact that at 2-3 years old the baby still does not understand what masturbation is, does not know that touching himself and others in some places is considered indecent, so at this age it is too early to talk about masturbation. Masturbation is a way of self-satisfaction, when a child brings himself to emotional release (before bed, hiding in a secluded place) and does it regularly, then we can talk about a pathological habit.
In an open form, noticeable to adults, this habit occurs in 5% of boys and 3% of girls. preschool age(according to A.I. Zakharov).
Prerequisites for the occurrence of masturbation
Physiological.
Psychological.
Clinical.
The manifestation of neuropathy - sleep disorder, poor sleep - leads to the accumulation of anxiety, which is thus eliminated. Excessive wrapping, tight clothing.
What else can provoke the appearance of masturbation?
How to help a child?
First of all, find out the reason for the habit (see above).
Do not shame, punish, or scold under any circumstances.
You don’t even have to talk to your child about this topic, but you can radically change your educational methods and your relationship with your child.
Give your child more freedom and the opportunity to act independently.
Praise often.
The atmosphere in the family should be calm and friendly.
If a child wants to run or jump, do not hold him back, but, on the contrary, provide him with physical activity (outdoor walks, sports or dance class).
Communicate more often on neutral topics, avoiding lectures and lectures.
Treat prickly heat, diathesis, helminthic diseases in a timely manner; urological and gynecological diseases.
Clothes should be clean, loose, and not chafing.
Don't scare the baby dire consequences his “dirty” actions! This will lead to the emergence of an inferiority complex, which in the future will result in problems with understanding one’s body, problems with sex in adulthood.
Do not humiliate the child by questioning, examining, or discussing this topic in front of strangers.
Review your diet (less sweet, spicy, salty).
Seek help from a neurologist and psychologist, they will help you find the cause and develop a set of measures.
Remember! Masturbation is a way of release nervous tension. If you cope with the tension, masturbation will “go away.”
Love your child! Most often, masturbation affects children in orphanages, who are not needed by anyone, are not loved by anyone, and do not have the opportunity to express themselves. Draw a conclusion!!!
Health and hygiene issues are inextricably linked with the occurrence of bad habits in children. Such examples include masturbation in children. Masturbation - artificial irritation of the genital organs - is especially harmful due to the detrimental effect on the development of the child’s body, on his condition nervous system. Such children are usually pale, with blue circles under their eyes, and sometimes with a slightly puffy face. The eyes lose their shine, the child hides them, there is no direct, open look. These children are lethargic, get tired quickly, are not interested in games or peers, and avoid the team and children's society. Long-term masturbation leads to mental retardation, dulling of memory, a sharp decrease in abilities and poor academic performance in schoolchildren, and in advanced cases - to serious mental illness.
The reasons for childhood masturbation may be the following:
1. Pinworms. Not everyone knows that worms, and especially some of their types, often cause bad habits in children. This applies to small pinworm worms. They live in the rectum and usually crawl out onto the skin of the perineum at night, causing unbearable itching. Insomnia appears, the child becomes nervous and scratches the skin in this area. In girls, itching becomes even more common as pinworms crawl onto the external genital area.
Scratching caused by itching in the perineum and genital area leads to masturbation. That is why it is absolutely necessary to maintain health and to prevent the occurrence of this bad habit carefully treat helminthic diseases. In addition to the use of anthelmintic treatment, great value has strict adherence to child hygiene. Clean hands, neatly trimmed nails, changing panties daily, boiling them and ironing them with a hot iron, washing the child before changing panties are no less important than the treatment prescribed by the doctor.
2. Prolonged loneliness of the child when he is left to his own devices and unsupervised. One example is indicative: a child under 3 years old was left alone unattended in a room where he was locked. Subsequently, when circumstances changed and the child was placed in best conditions, noticed that he was hiding, looking for privacy. It turned out that the child was masturbating. It will take a lot of patience and tact to overcome a bad habit.
3. Masturbation often occurs in children doomed to stay in bed for a long time(bed rest) with relatively good or just good general condition. This especially applies to children suffering from certain heart diseases, such as rheumatic heart disease, when they often keep the child in bed for a long time without sufficient reason, without even trying to occupy him with anything. Some parents unnecessarily pamper their children, keeping them in bed beyond measure, when this is not indicated by a doctor: after the flu, sore throat, runny nose.
However, you should also not go to the other extreme and not put the baby down when it is necessary in the interests of his health. While the child is in bed, watch him as carefully as we are used to doing with children on the street, in the park, in public places.
Advice for parents: what to do, how to deal with child masturbation, treatment
- To prevent the appearance child masturbation, make sure you follow the correct routine in general, and especially your sleep routine - go to bed strictly and always at the same time.
- Before bedtime, allow children only quiet games and walks in the fresh air; Noisy games and conversations, long reading, shows, including television, are unacceptable.
- Have dinner two hours before bedtime, without spicy foods, strong tea, strong coffee.
- Empty your bladder before going to bed.
- Sleep on a hard bed in a well-ventilated room.
- Make a long nightgown.
- When falling asleep, make sure that your child's hands are on top of the blanket or under his head.
- Make sure that in the morning the child does not lie in bed for a long time, but, upon waking up, gets up quickly. Always wake him up at the same time.
- After getting up, do morning exercises (even for little ones), then water procedures (rubbing or dousing). Cold water procedures, like all hardening activities, play a huge role in the prevention and treatment of childhood masturbation.
- For children suffering from masturbation, cancel naps during the day, replacing them with a walk in the air. Walking and playing outdoors is beneficial for all children, especially those suffering from masturbation. Take them out for walks in any weather.
- If the parents of a child suffering from masturbation teach him to do daily physical exercise, active games in the air, and older children to engage in sports, then in this way you can successfully overcome this habit. A healthy, cheerful, seasoned child will not engage in masturbation.
- A very important link in prevention and treatment of childhood masturbation- labor. Accustom your child to help around the house, achieve purposeful, properly organized work on preparing homework, always carried out at the same time. Keep such a child busy, give him various tasks (draw, cut, make something, and so on).
- Watch your speech, show restraint in conversations, do not say in the presence of a child what he is not supposed to know.
- Be delicate, tactful and modest in your intimate relationships so that the child does not witness what he should not observe and which, if not understood, can leave a traumatic mark on his child's psyche.
- Fighting masturbation, don't humiliate baby, don't yell at him or punish him.
- Don't sew for children visiting kindergarten, special clothing (for example, special tying panties, etc.). Such constant evidence of his vice leads to humiliating conversations and ridicule, which will further alienate the child from his peers. But the company of children, a team, joint games and activities that are useful to captivate such a child are one of the means of treating him.
Based on materials from the magazine “Family and School”, 1962
You accidentally witnessed your child masturbating. Are you completely confused: will your baby really grow up to be a sexual maniac or pervert?
Your first natural instinct is to scold and punish so that this never happens again!But are your conclusions and methods of influence correct?
Don't panic! Let's figure it out.
What is child masturbation?
Childhood masturbation is when a child caresses himself (engages in masturbation), this is a fairly common phenomenon, of course, undesirable, but there is nothing particularly tragic or shameful about it. And there is no need to punish for this.
It has nothing to do with adult masturbation (after puberty). In fact, manipulation of a child’s genitals is no different from scratching a sore. After all, the mechanism of sexual satisfaction in children has not yet been formed, and the “release” typical of adults never occurs.
The vast majority of children (almost all boys, and the vast majority of girls). Initially, it is associated with the emergence of interest in one’s own body, an absolutely normal stage in development. And the genital area is very rich in nerve endings and, touching it, the child experiences new sensations.
The child may also discover other erogenous zones, in addition to the genitals, and begin to stimulate them. This can be sucking a finger (usually a thumb) or any other objects, scratching the heels, stroking the back, and again, sitting on the toilet (potty) for a long time. But this does not cause a panic reaction in others, although the nature of these phenomena is absolutely the same as with irritation of the genitals.
At what age does masturbation occur in a child?
Masturbation can be observed in a child as early as 4-6 months, when the child suddenly tenses up, turns red, and then goes limp and falls asleep. As a rule, parents in these cases immediately think about the appearance of seizures in the child. Many people note that their children sit for a long time on the toilet (and those who are younger sit on the potty), surrounded by toys or picture books.
Why do you ask? Constipation? Yes, it is constipation and requires some tightening of the pelvic floor muscles. And this tension is transmitted to the genitals - pleasant sensations arise that the child wants to repeat again and again. This is fixed in the brain, in the subcortical structures of the brain, and the child looks for ways to create pleasant sensations in himself again and again.
Is child masturbation a problem?
Touching any areas of your body in itself is not at all a manifestation of any disease. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.
The problem lies in the reaction of adults to this event; as a rule, it is a strong fear, which is always and very quickly transmitted to the child. He begins to think that he is doing something disgusting and disgusting, and if parents or grandparents or educators complete the cycle of wrong actions and scold him, then the child begins to feel like a very, very bad boy (or girl).
This fear, this low self-esteem can become the root cause of big problems: from loss of trust in relationships with adults to gross violations in subsequent sexual life, perceiving it as something unworthy and disgusting.
Of course, the inadequate reaction of adults to children's masturbation is directly related to the level of development of society and its tolerance for various human manifestations.
At the everyday level, children's masturbation is considered as something vicious, and yet, almost everyone is involved in children's masturbation, and sexual disorders (too early sexual development, pathological sexual attraction, early, so-called “school” pregnancies and abortions) still affects a limited part of the population.
Very often a person is turned away by precisely what is suppressed and unfulfilled in himself.
Another important detail: the idea that a child touching his genitals will certainly cause him arousal is not at all a rule. On the contrary, the child can calm himself down in this way. Many children fall asleep easier after masturbation.
How to properly respond to child masturbation?
The best thing you can do is not to react. If a child does this in public, he should not be scolded or called names, he should be distracted (but not at all with a slap on the head), because this may cause a negative reaction from others. Perhaps you will be reassured by the fact that modern pediatric doctors for the most part do not consider child masturbation to be a manifestation of ill health.
Moreover, they even see this as their own positive aspects. After all, the rush of blood to the genitals caused by masturbation in itself is a prevention genitourinary infections, which are not uncommon at an early age.
When should you really worry?
When a child develops behavioral disorders, frequent crying, dissatisfaction with everything and everyone. He begins to sleep poorly, wakes up at night, and develops various obsessive movements. In these cases, movements associated with masturbation become on a par with other obsessive movements. Then he can start masturbating in public.
As a rule, parents in most cases live in blissful ignorance and do not even suspect that their child is masturbating, if only because he does it alone, when no one is home, or when everyone is already asleep. Normal child, with normal socialization, deep down he realizes that masturbation should not be advertised.
If he starts doing this anywhere, regardless of whether there are people around or not, it means that he is not able to control his desires and movements.
In this case, persistent masturbation may be a manifestation of nervousness, since it is, although pathological, still a way of relieving nervous tension, preventing the appearance of neurotic disorders.
What are the causes of child masturbation?
1. Characteristic features of the child, namely, an active, often indomitable temperament and a corresponding increased need to discharge accumulated mental tension.
All other things being equal, masturbation is more likely to occur in girls who prefer to communicate with boys, and in boys with pronounced boyish behavior traits.
2. Incorrect upbringing (excessive severity, restriction of activity, numerous prohibitions and frequent physical punishment), in which the child feels unwanted, unloved, and lonely. This bothers and torments him so much that he tries to distract himself to compensate for the loneliness.
If at this moment a child accidentally discovers that masturbation drowns out his anxiety and makes life more enjoyable, then he will consciously engage in it.
3. Problems of emotional contact with parents, which increase with a lack of affection, parental warmth, early departure of the mother to work, transfer of the child to relatives and nannies.
Such children are not frank with their parents. Hiding many of their feelings and experiences, they often live in their own imaginary world, closed from others, in which they compensate for the lack of love and warmth from adults. Masturbation becomes a kind of “compensation” for them.
By the way, child masturbation is very common in children's homes. Abandoned children, deprived of affection, literally from the cradle begin to caress themselves.
4. If the child learned that the family was expecting a child of a different gender. He is a boy, and dad needs a girl... A child’s experiences and suffering can also find their way out through masturbation.
5. Force feeding. When parents are at war with the baby, they push him, forcing him to eat everything. This is most common in children with neuropathy, who are underweight and have insufficiently active digestive juices.
If a child normally enjoys food and its taste, then with force feeding, especially children with neuropathy, this does not happen. Moreover, the process of eating itself is accompanied by negative emotions, and the food seems not only tasteless, but also unpleasant, causing nausea and vomiting.
As a result, one of the sensitive zones of the body is switched off from the normal process of developing body sense. And since the mucous membrane of the lips and mouth is reflexively connected with the genital area, the “silence” of one reflex zone forces another, in this case the genital, to “speak” ahead of time.
Her prematurely increased excitability creates tension, which is temporarily eliminated through masturbation. The baby begins to touch his genitals. If you continue to force feed your baby, he will continue to discharge. The habit is fixed for a long time.
6. Lack of hygiene, excessively tight clothing, itching in the genital area due to diathesis, worms, and diaper rash lead to the appearance of specific sensations and the desire to cause them.
7. Psychological contagion, when adults are in the same bed with a child, excessively caress the child and kiss on the lips, swing on a leg or observe hygienic measures too carefully (washing in girls) - all this can lead to the premature appearance of specific genital sensations and the desire for them reproduce.
8. Very often we lose sight of this obvious fact: a child is the product of two parents, and not one of them, no matter how different these people may be. Therefore, children love both parents and react extremely painfully to any conflicts between them.
It is ruthless, even criminal, to make them allies or prosecutors in family troubles, or even wars. Children are very dependent on the authority of their parents, and such “games” are unlikely to make them your supporter, and will definitely cause an inferiority complex.
In addition, children tend to aggravate their own problems in the hope that their parents, in the face of their children's misfortune, will forget their feuds and finally make peace with each other.
Persistent masturbation may well turn out to be a means of putting pressure on parents. The situation in the family is normalized, and the child himself can give up the ugly habit.
9. Physical punishment (spanking, flogging) promotes a rush of blood to the genital area, involuntarily sexually arousing the child.
10. Imitation of elders - if the child saw in a movie, or accidentally saw parents or older children with increased sexual interest.
11. The clinical prerequisite for masturbation is increased level excitability mostly as a manifestation of neuropathy against the background of minimal brain dysfunction (which can arise due to the pathology of pregnancy, less often childbirth).
Another manifestation of this condition is a sleep disorder: difficulty falling asleep, restless, superficial, intermittent sleep. Staying in bed for a long time without sleep provokes the manifestation of masturbation, since anxiety arises and a desire to eliminate it.
How to prevent child masturbation?
Remember, masturbation is a way to relieve nervous tension. If your child has it, look for the origins of the tension. Do not attach undue importance to masturbation.
Your threats to the baby are worse than masturbation itself. It is they, and not masturbation, that can cripple a child’s future. There appear to be several reasons for what happened. Your child undoubtedly experiences a lack of attention and warmth from his parents.
Physical contact with the child is of great importance. Children who are caressed by their parents grow up much more calm, balanced, and friendly.
Give your children more affection! This can be done without any deliberateness: a child passes by you on some business of his own - pat him on the head, kiss him just like that, you don’t need a reason for this!
When putting him to bed, sit next to him, tell him something, again stroking the child. A caressed child will later become a loving and gentle parent.
It is very important to understand that children want to be loved only for who they are. Believe me, a child who receives the love and affection of his parents “for himself”, and not for a good deed, will be more attentive to his parents, their problems, concerns, and needs.
And one last thing. Make it a rule to take walks in the fresh air; even short walks before bed often have a magical effect: after all, you can talk to your ever-busy mom or dad and get so tired that sleep comes by itself. Water procedures have a beneficial effect, increasing the feeling of the body. Enroll your child in a sports section and play more outdoor games with him.
By listening to these simple recommendations, you will most likely forget about this bad habit. But if, in spite of everything, attempts at masturbation still occur, you should contact a gynecologist or urologist (depending on the sex of the child) to exclude inflammatory process in the genitourinary area, which can cause itching in the perineum.
Then it is advisable to visit a neurologist, and only then a psychologist and, especially, a psychotherapist.
What to do if a child engages in masturbation?
- Find the cause and try to eliminate it.
- Don't force-feed your child.
- Dress your baby in loose clothing and underwear.
- Make sure your child falls asleep immediately. If necessary, give sedative decoctions and mixtures (after consulting a neurologist).
— Increase physical activity child: sports clubs, walks in the fresh air.
- Hug, caress, kiss the child more often. Give him more attention.