We used to have a dog in our home and often he frequently humped the floor. We were told by the vet that this is quite normal for many household dogs including other pets, and that we shouldn't be too concerned or worried.
Well, I'm worried now, because a couple of years ago, our two year old daughter started imitating the dog once when the dog was masturbating. She got onto the floor next to the dog and started sliding and rocking her stomach and waste areas back and forth rapidly on the ground. Sometimes her hips would go around in circles on the floor, and her legs would be kicking or swinging in the air or floor. Basically the whole front part of her body would rock or wiggle on the floor.
The first time she did it, I was surprised but thought she would tire of the activity. But she quickly started just doing this at random times throughout every day, often when she would see the dog doing it. We got rid of the dog, hoping she would forget and stop masturbating, but that didn't really help. Now she's started placing soft objects, or her hands between her legs and really giving it. And once she starts, we cannot distract her until she finishes which is usually five to ten minutes later. Once she is finished, her breathing is a bit loud, her face is red, and she's all sweaty. Then she calms down and says that it was fun.
She's never done this outside of our house (thank goodness), and she never takes her clothing off to do it either (thank goodness), but it's something she just randomly gets onto the floor, bed, or couch to do. Sometimes, she won't do it for a week, other times she might do it five times a day.
We try to ignore this activity, because she only does it at home, but sometimes even at home it's awkward for us and not appropriate for her to do, especially if we have guests over. When she talks about how much fun it is after, I try to tell her that it's okay to have that fun sometimes, but that she should go to her room or to some other place where people aren't around to see her. But she doesn't understand that concept, she asks, "Why can't people see me, is it bad?" And all I can tell her is that it's not bad just not appropriate in front of others. And then she gets confused and doesn't understand why she can't do it whenever and where ever she wants. It seems like something she does when she is bored, like during commercials during a children's tv show, or when an adult visitor comes over to visit with me and her dad and there's nothing for her to do.
Last week, I took her to one of my friends. We had coffee one afternoon at her place. But she got bored and while the television was on with a movie to keep her occupied in the living room while we visited in the kitchen, she started masturbating at her house on her floor. And my friend who saw her doing it, told me and was all surprised that I let her keep doing it. I told her that she does it frequently and won't be distracted until she finishes and that we are trying to get her to be more discreet, and only do it in her bedroom or when she's alone. She said that she isn't alone over here. I told her that she sort of is because we're in the kitchen and she's the only one in the living room and even though the room's are close together and we can see her, she considers herself alone. I reminded her that she's only four, doesn't know what she's doing, and that she'll know better when she gets a bit older.
At this point in the conversation, we could clearly notice my daughter getting louder and really getting into it. My friend says that there's no way my daughter would be doing this unless she was abused or something. And she's very adamant that I talk with her and try to figure out how she was abused. She says somebody must have taught her to do this. I'm glad she's not pointing fingers at me, she says I'm a good parent, but she's adamant that someone else probably did something to her when I may not have been around. But I know that's not true, it was our dog that taught her if anything. Nobody abused her, and she reprimanded me for not trying to sort all of this out. I told her about our dog, but she thinks something happened to her prior to that, and it wasn't only the dog.
I'm worried that others may think we're abusing her now, and I don't know what to tell my friend next time I talk to her. I know the truth, but she doesn't believe it. And what if other people who have seen her do this who may not have said anything to us in the past think we're being bad parents? What if others think the same way as my friend did?
And what if my daughter starts doing it in school or something when she gets to kindergarten. I'm sure she will learn by then that it's not appropriate, but what if she doesn't?
I don't know how true this is, but I've heard of rumors about young children openly masturbating in day care, or inside a church sunday school class, and then getting taken away from their parents right aways because they get accused of molesting their children. I don't want that to happen to me. And I guess with my friend confronting me about this, I'm really worried now because my daughter's never been abused.
Has anybody here ever had to worry about this, and get worried to that extent?
