Should Parents Talk To Their Children About Masturbation?

Now, here’s another sticky thought though. If masturbation is coming out into the open as a recognised and honourable pastime, this imposes a considerable dilemma for parents, doesn’t it? If masturbating is a good thing, shouldn’t responsible parents at least talk to their kids about it and let them know that they have permission to indulge in it?

How? It’s potentially so embarrassing!

One of my favourite real-life stories is the one about the mother who was sharing a room with her three and a half year old daughter.

It was quiet time after waking on a winter’s morning and the mum became aware that the little girl in the next bed was masturbating.

The mum thought hard about what she could say to make this a responsible teaching moment without making the little girl feel wrong and bad.

So the mum took a deep breath and said this: “Honey, what you are doing now is perfectly ok and good for you but I just want you to know that it’s something that you best do when you are alone because some people get embarrassed or upset about it.”

The little girl said, “Ok mummy”, and the mum breathed a sigh of relief about her clear demonstration of tact and was about to doze off to sleep again when a little voice said from the next bed, “Mummy, would you please leave the room for a moment?”

Cute hey? The honest desire for pleasure falling spontaneously and naturally from the innocent mouth of babies.

Isn’t it a shame how society’s critical view distorts and devalues this honest pleasure and can turn that happy little girl into a woman who feels guilty and ashamed about her ability to love herself by giving her body pleasure?

Well this book has a mission and that is to recommend that masturbation is taken out of the shame basket and put up on the dining table as a topic of conversation and trophy of sexual maturity.

Thank you for being game enough to join me on this mission!