my niece is a humperdinck. much like the despised character in princess bride - this humperdinck is cause of great anxiety and fear. her crime? masturbation. it's true. well over a year ago - my sister called me in a state of panic. "your niece has started humping her blanket!" my sister, steeped in sexuality ed, calmly explained to her then 2-year-old daughter that her behavior was something to be done "in private." yet my niece continued to grind on her blanket like it was her job and she was gettin' paid overtime. my sister did not scold my niece nor let her know how uneasy the whole event made her. (my sister is not a drinker so i'm not exactly sure how she managed to calm her nerves.) instead she named the act "humperdinck" and reminded my niece to do that in her bedroom. now my niece asks for it by name. when my sister tells her it's time for nap, she says, "well can i humperdinck?" that's my girl.
enter me - this sexually progressive, educated, advocate of all sexy things safe and fun. now i'm all for the healthy sexual development of children. but i have to admit, i felt a little on edge when it was my turn to witness that little butt movin' up and down playin' hide the blankie. she was really gettin' into it! man! all these thoughts flashed through my mind. like - did i do that when i was her age? what a little pro! you do you, girl! please stop! i can only imagine what some parents might think when they first realize their little innocents are humping fools.
even though i felt uncomfortable at times, and even though parents likely feel like their child is headed for a life of lascivious doom, we have to remember that touching ourselves feels good. touching ourselves is healthy. touching ourselves makes us better people. masturbation not only helps us relieve stress so we don't go postal on someone. it also helps us learn what makes us tick. meeoww - that feels good, right there.
why would anyone want to deprive a kid of that?! let's hope all kids have the chance to be little humperdincks.
2 comments:
I'm with you...to a point. I beat my dick like it owes me money to be sure! I either do it in private or with a partner(s) in a private setting. I don't do anything overtly sexual in public or in front of others who haven't chosen to be involved. I don't think one should label it a dirty act, but I think good, considerate "manners" should be applied. There is nothing in the world wrong with telling a kid, "go for it, just go for it in your room."
[This comment is based on all the baby books and articles that I've read in the past year]
Most babies quickly find out that it feels good to touch themselves. It shouldn't be a surprise that a kid as young as 1 or even younger figures out that they like masturbating. Making a child feel bad for touching themselves is truly a horrible act. Many parents, though, will proceed to make their children feel dirty and insecure about their genitals at a very young age. It's sad because this is as innocent as a child sucking their thumb. I've read that you shouldn't even make a bad face just from changing a gross diaper because your child might associate that negativity with their private areas. Anyhow, it's usually the parent(s) who reduces an innocent act into something that's dirty and shameful because of their own insecurities and oppression.
My friend told me the story of her 4 year old daughter touching herself while brushing her teeth. She asked her daughter why she was doing that and she replied that it felt good. Would it be wrong if I told you that I found that story to be endearing? I understand that one day I'm going to catch my baby boy stroking that little boner of his and it's going to catch me off guard. I'm not sure how I'll react but I'll probably find it cute.
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