Child masturbation

[missymrs]

My son is 5, and since he could crawl, he has been doing what we call "rocking". He will lay down with his hand under his penis (with clothes on) and, basically, hump the ground. We have also caught him doing it in the bathtube just after letting the water drain from the tub. Is this a normal developmental thing? I have explained to him, that it is a private thing, and that he can do it in private. I dont want to teach him that it is wrong of dirty, although other parents have scolded me for that. Am I doing something wrong? How should I react? He has done it since babyhood...is it a sign of sexual abuse?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I think you can be reassured that the behavior is not due to having been abused.

[missymrs]

No, I can't think of a time when he could have been. He has been babysit before but only by family, or very close friends. However me and his father broke up very early on after his birth and so he spent some weekends as a younger child at his house (he does'nt see him anymore) He can be careless sometimes and doesnt really know how to take care of a child, but I don't think he would ever hurt him in that way either.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The behavior is not abnormal and it is not likely the result of having been sexually mistreated. Since he is only five, I assume you pretty much know what has been happening with him since birth. Do you think he may have been mistreated? One way or the other, the behavior can only be managed at this point, and you are trying to teach him a good thing - that is, that the masturbation per se is not wrong, but it should occur in private.