Parents Must Have: Kids Masturbating Education Guide.

Have You Talked About Masturbation With Your Kids?

Masturbation is an act that every adolescent is bound to perform at some point in time. However, even if you have a great relationship with your child, talking about masturbation isn't exactly easy. As a parent, the biggest challenge you will come across is to create a healthy perception of sex and the knowledge associated with it in your child's mind. It is especially tougher in the age of technology where explicit content is easily accessible to your child. It becomes crucial at this point for you to intervene and guide your child as soon as you suspect suspicious activity on the internet.

The idea of kids masturbating might seem uncomfortable, but before they learn it any other way, you must educate them about their body and its secrets. Therefore, do not feel ashamed and find out the right way to speak to your child about it before it's too late.

Things Parents Need to Know, More Than Masturbation.

Parents often stress over their kids discovering the act of masturbating because of several myths associated with it. For one, kids' masturbating is considered extremely inappropriate, whereas it is only natural for them to be curious about their bodies. Kids are bound to become interested in their genitals at some point in time. Another common myth associated with it is the idea that kids only masturbate when they become teens. Your kid may discover the act of touching themselves way before that. Many children who haven't even gone through puberty yet may be doing so without knowing what it is.

However, the question persists, Is it bad to masturbate?"The act of masturbating isn't bad in itself, but the factors surrounding its habit can definitely have both positive and negative consequences. Parents are usually stressed about their kids masturbating because they themselves never talked with their own parents. Lack of communication about matters relating to your child's sexual health could have extreme consequences later. Therefore, as a parent, you must educate yourself before educating your child and contribute to their healthy sexual growth.

When you notice your child exhibiting odd behavior like taking long bathroom breaks or hesitating to share their phone with you, they are likely trying to conceal something. However, even if you catch them during the act, never explicitly point them out. Your child may feel extremely humiliated and embarrassed for something that was meant to be private. Children are naturally secretive about masturbating, even if they don't truly understand what it is. This is because, from a very young age, they are taught to cover their genitals. They also learn through observation and internalize those behaviors.

Moreover, they learn from peers of similar age groups. Due to this, they struggle to find answers to the common questions associated with masturbating like Is it bad to masturbate? What would happen if my parents find out?

On the other hand, a child might not be secretive at all. This is because they do not truly understand the ethics surrounding the act and might be treating it like any other pleasure deriving activity.

Regardless of the case, it is highly unlikely that your child will be the one to start this conversation. Therefore, you must break the ice and take the first step by speaking to them in privacy. While it is not recommended to go too deep into the details, you must communicate various essential things with them. Assure that you care about them and are not going to invade their privacy. Let them know that sexual development is not something to be ashamed of and encourage them to ask questions whenever they need to. On the other hand, also encourage them to maintain privacy and not perform the act publicly. Educate them about having a balance between being too secretive and not secretive at all.

Tips to Help Kids Treat Masturbation Correctly

1. Encourage Privacy

Try to make the conversation as comfortable as possible and display empathy instead of shame. Let them know that this is one of the things everyone is supposed to do privately. Don't leave them on their own, though, and make sure to occasionally check in on the matter with them to see if they have any questions.

Use the Opportunity to Teach Consent

Teach your child the value of consent for any and every sexual act they perform. Is it bad to masturbate? No. Is it bad to do it forcefully? Yes. Nobody in their right mind will perform a sexual act with themselves or with someone else if it makes them uncomfortable. Tell them that just like they wouldn't touch themselves forcefully, they must not do it to someone else too.

Teach Them Not to Develop an Unhealthy Obsession

If your child does not find an escape from their daily stresses the right way, they might do it in an unhealthy way by developing an addiction to masturbating. They might use it as a coping mechanism to deal with difficult emotions. This makes them reluctant to face their problems, which can further impact their social lives. To add more pleasure to the act, they may also resort to pornographic content. This is where the answer to the question, "Is it bad to masturbate?" becomes vague. Even though it is not, getting addicted to unreal imagery to induce the feeling can harm their perception of marital sexuality in the future.

Don't Let the Internet or Media Guide Them

Even though media is an excellent platform for informing and educating, it may not have the best messages for children to learn from. It's important to keep a check on what your child is watching or listening to because responsible sexual behavior is not shown very often.

Do You Know What Your Child Looks Like Online?

It isn't surprising anymore that your child has much more access to technology than you did in the past. They learn to use search engines, download games, and watch videos from a very young age, which exposes them to unwanted content. If your child does not find answers to their questions through healthy communication, they will most likely turn to the internet to do so. In today's age, the act of kids masturbating is heavily influenced by their online activities, and as a parent, it is only reasonable to be in the loop about them.

What Is FamiSafe?

FamiSafe is a popular parental control application that allows you to do just that. It has several features to control your child's screen time and send you notifications whenever they search for something inappropriate. Using its phone activity report feature, you can get a timeline of your kid's daily online activities as well as a record of apps they downloaded or uninstalled. As children grow up and get more autonomy over their lives, it becomes challenging for parents to protect them from the wrong company. As a result, many children suffer from sexual harassment and cyberbullying.

An application like FamiSafe becomes an absolute necessity than as it sends you alerts whenever any such thing is detected on your child's devices. Its "Detect Suspicious Photos" feature also helps you detect any suspicious images like porn or nude pictures. Moreover, you can also block any inappropriate websites and check your child's search history using the "Filter Websites & View History" feature.

The stereotypes and taboos associated with kids masturbating or masturbating, in general, can cause people to have an unhealthy perception of it. It's important to understand your kid's sexual growth and needs on time to avoid them from learning through inappropriate sources. As a parent, it is immensely important that you acknowledge the truths about masturbating before communicating with your child. The biggest advantage of talking to your child about it from early on is that as they grow up, they can make the right sexual decisions without feeling ashamed. It also ensures a healthy relationship with your child, where they do not hesitate to talk to you about anything. More than the guidance your kids receive, the fact that you are the one giving the guidance matters the most.

As described earlier, children are observational learners and tend to internalize their parents' attitudes and beliefs about masturbating from a very young age. If you react to their curiosity about their bodies negatively, they may grow up to become ashamed of their feelings, behaviors, and body in general. What children learn from an early age has a huge impact on their lives as they grow up. A child who grows up with a healthy perception of sex can communicate their needs and wants to their partners effectively.