child development

How Do I Explain Masturbation to My 5 Year Old?

Mon, 01/19/2009 - 20:55
Submitted by Betty Dodson

dear betty & carlin,

my five year old daughter has no inhibitions about touching herself, rubbing her clit, etc. i do ask her to stop when she's on the couch, in full view, watching cartoons as she needs to know that touching oneself is better done in private (her bedroom, the bathroom). last night, while in the shower she discovered that the shower head feels good. in her words "it tickled my peepee and i liked it."my husband wasn't sure what to say but it was time to get dried off anyway, so he just asked her to come out of the shower. both myself and my husband want our daughter to have a positive image of herself and a positive view of her sexuality. what can we say to her that will encourage her self-exploration and yet keep the conversation developmentally appropriate for a five year old?