Son Needs to Stop Grabbing Himself....

I have 4 boys, so I know what you are going through with this habit. What worked for us was to come up with a code word, and every time we saw him doing it, we said the word and it reminded him to stop. With the code word, you can say it out in public as a gentle reminder, and neither of you will have to worry about attention being drawn to you and him. Good Luck!

my son did the same thing and nothing worked , til my husband told him that if he touched it it will fall off . and it worked .

I understand your frustration. My 7 year old did this pretty much all year long. We tried everything and nothing worked. Finally, we just gave up and he quit. He suffers from anxiety and this was a coping mechanism for him. He used to dig at his head for 2 years. One thing his teacher did to get him to stop was whenever he was digging, she would politely tap him and did a wave her hair. It took persistance, but it worked. Maybe you could tap him and make some sort of hand gesture in your area while shaking your head no. Eventually he will catch on.

It's completely normal. Little boys ae getting to know their bodies. Quit making such an issue out of it and he'll probably get bored with it.

I have four boys, 12, 7 & 4 yr old twins. I notice this happens a lot during summer. Our 12 yr old doesn't do this in public but when our 7 yr old has a soccer game/practice he does it. He says he's hot and his underwear are sticking & uncomfortable. Only one of my twins does it every so often, the other one is fine with it all. So, depending on the child is how you handle it. When your son does grab himself, ask what's wrong, if nothing remind him he doesn't need to hold his peepee. Just make sure you use the "right" tone of voice when talking so as to not draw attention and make it fun for him to see if you notice!! :) Good Luck!

Unfornunatly, almost all little boys do this. It is normal. My son is also 4 and has been doing this for a year or so. His doctor said that it was completely normal. I do not want him to feel guilty about doing it, so I have just explained that if he needed to scratch his pee pee, or something like that, he needed to go to the bathroom or his bedroom to do that because it is not something we should do in front of other people. For a while, I had to remind him every day, and I still have to remind him every once in a while. I know it is embarrassing. However, some of it may be to get your attention, the rest is just because he is a boy and has "found his pee pee". I would try not to make a big deal out of it and just explain that he needs to do that in the bathroom or the bedroom. Eventually, hopefully he will get tired of going to another room and decide not to do it. Hope this helps! J.

A.,
My son is 6 and went through the same stage. One of the best things that worked for me was to ignore it for the most part. Once he stopped getting extra attention by doing it, he lost interest. However, you do need to keep an eye on it. At one point my son was doing it so frequently he irritated it and ended up w/ an infection...which of course made it itch, so he scratched more. Just try to be patient, it's normal for kids to explore their bodies, try not to make him feel guilty or ashamed. Hope this helps some. Good luck!

My son will be 4 in August. He does this same thing. We simply told him that if he wanted to touch it then he needed to do it in the privacy of his own room. We didn't tell him it was dirty or try to make him feel ashamed of his sexuality in any way. It's completely natural for them to be curious and interested. Now when we catch him touching it or playing with it when he's with the rest of the family we simply remind him that it's something he does when he's alone, just to make him aware that he's doing it, he usually stops and carries on with his day, but there are times hwen he goes to his room--and that's okay too. I hope that helps!!

My son is 6 now and STILL does that. I have tried everything from his dad talking to him, to telling him it will fall off. Nothing seems to work. I am hoping he will grow out of it. I have noticed that all of his friends do it. He plays soccer and every practice and game I see nothing but 6 & 7 yr olds grabbing themselves. I wish I could be more help, but if you happen to stumble on a cure... please let me know!

As another poster said, just make sure he knows it's something he does in PRIVATE, like picking his nose or going potty. If you tell him he can do it when no one else is around, maybe he'll stop just so he can stay around people and not go into isolation.

My little one is the same age and he still grabs himself. There is nothing wrong with him, he is just learning about himself. Mine started right when he was learning to go to the potty.

Goodmorning,
My 2 year old daughter does it too, everytime she does it I ask her if she has to go to the bathroom. It might just be a stage that they just need to grow out of. ALthough my husband is 27 and still has to have his hand down his pants all the time. When he sleeps he does it more. I dont know if it is a way for them to reassure themselves it is still there or what! Maybe if you ignore it he will stop, it could be his way of getting your attention.

I don't have a son, but have heard from others that sometimes they do this because their underwear are too tight, which can cause discomfort and/or stimulation...especially since you say he doesn't do it while bathing...again, just something I heard...

Wow thats a hard one. My son did that as well. I really can't remember what I did. I suggest getting his father and/or Grandfather or uncles to talk with your son. If they are doing this in front of him however I dont know what to tell you. Cause children have a habit of mimicking us parents. If your able to point out that Dad or Granddad or uncles arent doing this maybe its a step. Good Luck.
D.