Q: We have a 5-year-old son. Once we noticed that he was asking his friend to show him his penis and the other kid’s pants were down. When my wife asked our son, he told her that he wanted to see his friend’s penis and that he touched and kissed it. When I asked about the same to my son, he lied and told me that they were playing with the money bank. The same thing happened with my elder son when he was also 5-year-old. Now he is eleven years old. Is this behaviour due to some curiosity? Is kissing someone’s private parts at this young age normal? An adult family member sexually abused me when I was a child and so, I know the signs of it. My son isn't showing any signs of being sexually abused. What should we do to prevent this from happening again?

A:I think a parent who has been sexually abused as a child is a much better judge of the situation than anyone you can consult anonymously. There is no special expertise available with us for this kind of behaviour which can be better than a parents'. A little bit of experimentation is not abnormal. However, the frequency and duration of such episodes will help you to define your child's tendency. The very fact that your child tried to mislead you tells you that he knows he did something wrong. Make him realise that and warn him to never to yield to anyone touching him sexually. Keep your children from seeing films or dances that show explicitly sexual scenes on TV and as they grow up, you will have to keep watch over their use of the Internet and protect them from porn sites.