Master of His Domain
Submitted by
Anonymous
My 12-year-old has suddenly been spending an extraordinary amount of time "showering."
As a single mom, I've tried mostly to ignore it—and to be really careful about not opening the bathroom door when he might be in there.
I know this is probably a scary time for him, and I know I need to talk to him about his body and what he's feeling, but ... I don't want to!
My sister, who has a 15-year-old, says he denied masturbating until he was blue in the face. Eventually, by talking about it as part of a general "Here's how your body is changing and why" discussion (wedging it in between chats about deodorant and shaving), she said he became more comfortable, and even asked a few questions.
But that's different, because her son's dad was right there. I could encourage my son to ask me questions, but I'm not sure I would know the answers! And I don't just want to hand him some lame "How Your Body Works" books.
As for me, I don't want to know how his body works, either. What I want to know is where my sweet, innocent baby went ... and how I can get him back.
Submit!
