Q: My son is 5 years old. He doesn't feel shy in roaming without his briefs at home. I have tried telling him several times that it doesn't look nice & is not right. But nothing makes any difference to him. He still takes my help in wearing his clothes. One day he asked me pointing towards my breast that are you a fat lady & I said no, as I am average in weight & height. He then asked me that why do you and dadi have this? Why do papa and dadu don't have it? I replied that boys & girls are different. What should be my reply to him?

A:Children do not feel shame regarding physical features, and they are naturally as curious about private parts of the body as any other object. With socialisation, they acquire socially and culturally accepted norms of behaving. Their questions provide a good opportunity of telling them basic facts of life in a language, which they can understand. Instead of feeling embarrassed about your child's questioning and instilling a sense of shame or guilt about his private parts, you can show him pictures and tell him how some males and females are different physically. You can also tell him gently that some parts of the body have to be kept covered. You can also gradually teach the child about desirable and undesirable touch. If you give reasonable answers now, your child will start trusting you and definitely turn to you in future for resolving further queries regarding sex and other issues.