A 6-year-old boy exposed himself to my 5-year-old granddaughter and upset her terribly. Is this common?

Question

We've had past concerned that some inappropriate behavior was taking place in this boy's home. He convinced my granddaughter to come to the car with him so he could tell her a "secret," then proceeded to expose himself. She immediately went inside and told my daughter about it. She was stunned and upset, but now she tells us nothing happened and won't talk about it and seems angry. Should we be concerned? I don't want to overreact, but ...

Answer 1

Unfortunately, it is a fairly common thing, but that doesn't mean it's okay.  If you are concerned that other things may be going on in the home, then you should call child services (or whatever they happen to be called where you live).  And you should take your granddaughter to see a child psychologist.  This may not have been the only thing that's happened to her in that home, and she may need a professional to help her deal with the feelings she is having.  You are not overreacting.  Your granddaughter is very lucky to have grandparents who are looking out for her and trying to help her.  I'm so sorry that your family is having to deal with this, and I hope everything turns out okay.

Answer 2

This boy may be a victim of abuse. It warrants a call to cps at the least.

Answer 3

you need to contact CPS and inform them of what happened. then your granddaughter probably will have to tell what happened if it is determined that it is an unsafe place for that boy to live.... but nevertheless, you need to say something.

Answer 4

Overreaction seems to be responsible for ALL the social ills of our society.

"You show me yours and I'll show you mine"

probably has been the same since "Lucie" was a child, 1.6 million years ago.  Sooner or later, they will notice the difference between boys and girls, and probably better the difference is recognized before they reach puberty.   The more we stigmatize, the more we worsen a natural maturation process.

Intercourse is, of course, a no no, and that should be explained without recrimination or anger, guilt assignation, or any other injurous method of communication.  Just explain the facts; that s*x often results in pregnancy and THAT, results in a twenty year commitment, or more.

So  -  teach your children wisely, thoughtfully, and factually, so that they can make their own "right" decisions.

Doug

Answer 5

He's just a horny lil boy, give him a break..

Answer 6

That sounds like the boy was abused. You should call the cops about that... There is no reason for him to do that. But she was very scared, perhaps traumatized. I would talk to a psychiatrist about that.. She is blocking it out.  Or refusing to talk about it.  Good luck!

Answer 7

Very common.

Kids, usually at this age try things like this.

Many people don't know that because most kids dont talk about it....but it does happen more than people think.

Usually though, both kids agree to "peek" at the other one....so if she's really upset, maybe find someone she's comfortable talking to like a child psychiatrist....and keep her away from that child until she's no longer angry or scared.