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should be punished for engaging in childhood
sex play.
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The phenomenon of a childhood sex play is very often observed
in the preschool period and the early years of school of almost
every single child and is not something to be considered having
a psychological and sexual negative character. A childhood
sexual game is a stage of the sexual development of the child.
Children very often play doctor, a “mom and dad”,
sometimes undress in front of each other, show and touch their
genitals and look at the genitals of their peers. These activities
cannot be perceived or associated with adult sexual relations
as they have an absolutely different character. As the child
explores his sex or the opposite sex, he realizes what the
difference between boys and girls is. Such interest is normal
and is a part of the child’s social adjustment process
(Okami, 1997).
The reason children engage such sex play is rather simple.
They are curious about exploring their own bodies and the
bodies of other people. The bodies of the peers are the most
appealing for child exploration. In such way they learn how
they differ form other people and what similarities do they
have. The attempt to punish a child will not eliminate the
child’s psychological demand for this experience (Larsson,
2001). Correspondingly, the punishment needs to be substituted
by a calm explanation. Through a good explanation the child
understands understanding that his body belongs to him and
a good explanation teaches to reject any touching that is
not desired by the child. The adult in such a way understands
the child’s explorative interest. The punishment can
create psychological problems for a child, and a talk can
clear out sever essential aspects. It is important for a parent
to realize that there is nothing pathological with a child
engaged in a sex play. The child is to accept this notion
in order to eliminate the feeling of shame and guilt and also
to learn that a man and a woman differ physiologically (Pike,2001).
It goes without saying that the knowledge that the child is
engaged in sex plays is extremely disturbing for the parents.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to demonstrate a corresponding
response to this play in order to influence the child. It
is vital to remember that the fact that a child is engaged
in sex plays does not determine his future sexual orientation
or in some way damages his sexuality. The child’s participation
in a sex play has nothing to do with a sexual or behavior
disorder. Therefore it is vital not to overreact as the punishment
may lead to such unpleasant consequences as making the child
feel ashamed and guilty about being body exploration and eventually
create sexual problems when the child becomes a grown up.
Childhood sex plays are a part of normal development of any
child, correspondingly punishment is the most inappropriate
way to respond to it. According to human development and family
studies, the best way to behave in such situations is to explain
the child what is actually happening. The statement “children
should be punished for engaging in childhood sex play”
is false, as any type of punishment may result in a sort of
the child’s inferiority complex and potentially negatively
influence the process of intersexual interactions and directly
sexual relations.
Bibliography:
1. Okami,P; Olmstead,R and Abramson,P. (1997).Sexual experiences
in early childhood: 18-year longitudinal data from the UCLA
family lifestyles project – University of California,
Los Angeles. Journal of Sex Research.34, 339-347.
2. Larsson, I. & Svedin, C. G. (2001). Sexual experiences
in childhood: young adult’s recollections. Arch Sex
Behav, 31(3):263-73.
3. Pike,L.(2001). Sexuality and your child: for children
ages 3 to 7.Retrieved July 10,2008.
<http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/humanrel/gh6002.htm>
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