DO understand that "'Little children start to masturbate very early,' says Angela Wilder, a Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist and the mother of two daughters. 'As young as two or three, parents can see their children massaging their genitals.'"
DON'T automatically suspect their father's rotating cast of bachelor-pad strumpets.
DO "avoid shaming the child for natural behavior."
DON'T confront the child and exasperatedly blurt, "What's wrong with you?"
DO teach "children early on that their bodies are their own to touch, it enables them to better distinguish a 'good touch' from an unwanted 'bad touch.'"
DON'T threaten to cut their fingers off.
DO attempt to explain, "This is kind of awkward for me, but I feel like we need to talk about what happened."
DON'T grip your child's chin and rant, "You don't do those those things in private and you especially don't do them in public!"
DO attempt to wear your most patient, thoughtful and inviting face, like so:
DON'T wear the face of a ladies-prison warden roused from bed by a misbehaving inmate. To wit:
Any questions? Next week: How to deal with your colleagues' racist workplace outbursts.
ยท What Can Mad Men Teach Parents About Childhood Masturbation? [CBS via The Awl]