Bottom humour etc etc

[clueless]

I have just managed to potty train my youngest ds and it has created a problem for me. Since ds has started using the potty, him and his sister seem obsessed with each other's bodies. They want to go to the toilet together, watch each other going to the loo, study each others poo's etc etc. They're always playing games which involve smacking each others bottoms etc.

I am not really sure how to handle this. I realise that they are curious about their bodies etc but where do you draw the line? I was sexually abused as a child and I'm aware that I could be over reacting, but obviously I feel quite sensitive about this.

I'm worried that I'm going to get this all wrong and create a bigger problem. I really told the 5 yo off earlier and even gave her a little smack and now I feel like crap.

Sorry for the change of name but you never know who might be reading!!

hi clueless sounds like youre talking about my two childre ds(5) and dd (3)theres nothing to worry about really,i think weve all done it as kids the best thing is to distract them and not make a big thing of it so they dont get even more obsessed with it

I completely agree with whymummy. Their behavior is totally normal and the best thing to do is not to make a fuss. I have a friend who used to nanny for a boy who at four used to have to get completely undressed in order to do a poo and was obsessed with cleaning himself afterwards. I would guess that someone made too much of a fuss over his pooing habits when he was younger.
If it makes you feel any better, my ds is 2.5 and is fascinated with his poo. He even waves goodbye to it when he's flushing the toilet. I get blow by blow descriptions of what is coming out and he often calls me or my dh over to inspect and count (!).

Clueless - (I was sexually abused too), but I think it's very important not to make a big deal about your children's behavior on this issue. They are being perfectly little children on this and it's all totally innocent and will wear off.SO if you can relax about it that would be the most helpful I think. I understand your sensitivity though - there was that thread about using 'sexy' to describe children and I felt quite het up about that.

it is a bit yucky to say, but i was raised in a medical family where we were taught to be conscious of our stools so that we would from an early age be aware of what was and was not normal. often early signs of illness are in the stools, so i am just really matter-of-fact with ds and say it is good to be aware of it, which has the effect of making him think it is a bit boring really. another way is to start telling them about how food gets digested, and convert it into an interest in what we eat. perhaps this might make you think of it as about digestion and not something sexual.