I think I've posted about this topic before, either on Facebook or here on my blog. The issue with our 4 year old son always sticking his hands down his pants! I got some great advice before and I still use the method of saying "HANDS!" while at home or in public. It's my "signal" word to James, for him to show me his hands which forces him to take them out of his pants. I know the hands in the pants are something boys just do out of curiosity of this body part, their "ding a ling" if you will. And this curiosity can come at any time - it's most embarrassing when we're at the store or with other people. So we had talks about what is appropriate in public and what is not. He got better for awhile and I wasn't having to say "HANDS!" as much.
But the saga continues. I'm sure you parents of baby boys have noticed a time or two when they were infants and they would get an erection, scary...weird right? Well they come back. And now they hurt - thus the hands have to go back in the pants to make it stop. Sigh. So after thinking we got over the "guitar playing" and curiosity...we now have erections due to the need to go potty or an adjustment needs to be made.
So again I am constantly telling James, "HANDS!" and now he responds to me, "But Mama, "it's" going up!" and "It hurts and won't go down!" Yup we just had this conversation in the grocery store today while he was sitting in the cart with his hand down his pants. And we had literally just gone to the restroom like 15 minutes prior. So back to the restroom we go. I'll be honest and say I get a little mad when he does this. But then I read this article today on Babycenter (I did a search on there instead of on Google in fear of what sites would come up) called, "Mama, my 'tinkle' is big!" and one of the commenter's made me feel guilty and more sympathetic to James' problem. The comment #21 read,
"When an erection is constrained against fabric it’s like having one of your fingers bent back, so the “fidgeting” you’re OH SO EMBARRASSED ABOUT might actually be an attempt to redress a problem."
Um, okay, ouch! I can relate to the finger bent back. And now I feel bad. I guess sometimes I just feel like the only one with their kid sticking their hands down their pants in public. Can any of you relate? And how do you address this issue with your little one? Stephen was great with helping with potty training and showing James how to pee standing up. And occasionally I will notify Stephen at home to talk to James about the touching. But most of the time they are silly boys (yes, Stephen too) and will laugh about it together just like they laugh when making up names with the word "poop" in them. (Rolling my eyes).
So I can tell already, it will be very, very interesting raising a girl and a boy.
Occasionally I still catch Madeline sucking her thumb in her sleep - and now...I catch James with his hands down his pants in his sleep. Sigh.
