I Just Saw My Child Touching Themselves. HELP!
07/03/23 • 36 min
We don't tend to talk about little ones' sexual behaviour. As adults we may find this is wrong or perverse, and yet there is a difference between 'sexual behaviour' that comes from curiosity and exploration and 'sexualised behaviour' with an intention for sex. Children are born wanting to explore the world and learning about their bodies is a part of it. When it comes to little ones masturbating this conversation is often taboo, can feel embarrassing or bring shame to adults. And yet - it is healthy and natural for children to explore their own bodies. There are however some 'red flags' to be aware of to differentiate developmentally appropriate behaviour from something that may need further professional guidance and support. Dr Martha talks about all these topics with sensitivity towards you, the adult navigating these situations, and appropriate developmental understanding of your child, to guide you to think about ways to set safe boundaries and explore conversations around privacy, consent, and safeguarding.
Pre-order my first book 'How To Be The Grown Up' here:https://bit.ly/HowtoBetheGrownUpAMZ
Pre-orders are a ‘promise’ between you and me - that I will deliver a book that I think you will love and find useful, and you will support me by promising to buy it first. No money gets taken out of your bank account until the day the book is launched.
The Confident Parent course is out! Do you have, or look after, children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years old? The Confident Parent is a practical, video-based course for parents and caregivers from Clinical Psychologist Dr Martha. Over eighty 3-6 minute videos to guide you through the main challenges of the early years (including sibling rivalry).
The NSPCC "Pantosaurus" song I discuss on the podcast is linked below:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/pants-underwear-rule/
Three of my favourite books on sex and bodies are linked below. For a full list of recommended books see: https://www.drmarthapsychologist.com/recommended-books
- Sex is a Funny Word: https://amzn.eu/d/a318aYn
- Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect: https://amzn.eu/d/dluyo04
- Making a Baby: https://amzn.eu/d/bd8D6Rd
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We don't tend to talk about little ones' sexual behaviour. As adults we may find this is wrong or perverse, and yet there is a difference between 'sexual behaviour' that comes from curiosity and exploration and 'sexualised behaviour' with an intention for sex. Children are born wanting to explore the world and learning about their bodies is a part of it. When it comes to little ones masturbating this conversation is often taboo, can feel embarrassing or bring shame to adults. And yet - it is healthy and natural for children to explore their own bodies. There are however some 'red flags' to be aware of to differentiate developmentally appropriate behaviour from something that may need further professional guidance and support. Dr Martha talks about all these topics with sensitivity towards you, the adult navigating these situations, and appropriate developmental understanding of your child, to guide you to think about ways to set safe boundaries and explore conversations around privacy, consent, and safeguarding.
Pre-order my first book 'How To Be The Grown Up' here:https://bit.ly/HowtoBetheGrownUpAMZ
Pre-orders are a ‘promise’ between you and me - that I will deliver a book that I think you will love and find useful, and you will support me by promising to buy it first. No money gets taken out of your bank account until the day the book is launched.
The Confident Parent course is out! Do you have, or look after, children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years old? The Confident Parent is a practical, video-based course for parents and caregivers from Clinical Psychologist Dr Martha. Over eighty 3-6 minute videos to guide you through the main challenges of the early years (including sibling rivalry).
The NSPCC "Pantosaurus" song I discuss on the podcast is linked below:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/pants-underwear-rule/
Three of my favourite books on sex and bodies are linked below. For a full list of recommended books see: https://www.drmarthapsychologist.com/recommended-books
- Sex is a Funny Word: https://amzn.eu/d/a318aYn
- Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect: https://amzn.eu/d/dluyo04
- Making a Baby: https://amzn.eu/d/bd8D6Rd
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
How On Earth Do I Talk To My Child About Porn?
With technology literally in our pockets it is no surprise children have access to porn easily. How can you talk about porn to your child in a way that is age appropriate and helpful rather than scary and shaming? Dr Martha talks you through some ideas of how to begin he conversation with your child, whether you have found they have watched porn or you want to prepare and educate them about it. Some of the guidance and ideas are to help you feel prepared and confident and small reminders that what you choose to talk about (and what you choose not to...) has a ripple effect into your child's future.
Pre-order my first book 'How To Be The Grown Up' here:https://bit.ly/HowtoBetheGrownUpAMZ
Pre-orders are a ‘promise’ between you and me - that I will deliver a book that I think you will love and find useful, and you will support me by promising to buy it first. No money gets taken out of your bank account until the day the book is launched.
The Confident Parent course is out! Do you have, or look after, children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years old? The Confident Parent is a practical, video-based course for parents and caregivers from Clinical Psychologist Dr Martha. Over eighty 3-6 minute videos to guide you through the main challenges of the early years (including sibling rivalry).
Learn more about the course and sign up here: https://www.drmarthapsychologist.com/the-course
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
What Can I Do When My Child Says "I Feel Sad"
As a parent it is normal to want your child to be happy and have positive experiences. And one of the hardest things to learn is that you cannot make your child happy, and fixing their feelings is not your job. Dr Martha speaks about emotion to help you make sense of what your child means when they say "I feel sad", how to work with the emotion rather than trying to fix it or remove it, and the things to watch out for if sadness is getting stuck around your child and it's not longer a temporary emotion but low mood impacting on their quality of life.
Pre-order my first book 'How To Be The Grown Up' here:https://bit.ly/HowtoBetheGrownUpAMZ
Pre-orders are a ‘promise’ between you and me - that I will deliver a book that I think you will love and find useful, and you will support me by promising to buy it first. No money gets taken out of your bank account until the day the book is launched.
The Confident Parent course is out! Do you have, or look after, children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years old? The Confident Parent is a practical, video-based course for parents and caregivers from Clinical Psychologist Dr Martha. Over eighty 3-6 minute videos to guide you through the main challenges of the early years (including sibling rivalry).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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