Is it normal for boys to explore eachother's body?

I recently found out through conversation with my son that he and two frinds of his (all 7 years old) sometimes play a game that entails each of them touching eachother penis, this most of the time, except for one occasion, is over clothing. Is this normal for boys to play such games?  I explained to my son that touching his penis is a private thing and that if he feel so inclined that it should be done in the privacy of his room ALONE.  In no way, is he however to touch another boy.  I don't believe that the other parents know of this game.  Is alerting them the right thing to do or should I leave it alone?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear JD,

It's entirely possible that the activity your son is describing is not a cause for alarm. At the same time, it is not the ususal thing for children of this age to repeatedly engage in this kind of activity, and you were wise to establish the clear and sensible limit that you did.

By all means it would be a good idea to inform the other parents . They should know what is occurring with their children, and hopefully they will set the same kind of limit you did.

It is very likely that one child is taking the initiative in this activity. While I am not suggesting that anything troubling is occurring with one (or more) of the children, repeated genital touching is one example of what is often referred to as  abuse-reactive behavior - i.e., behavior in response to having been mistreated sexually or exposed to sexual activity. So this is one, and only one, possibility of which you should be aware.