I wrote the following article and published it on Helium - it shot to number one overnight. If you like to write then check out Helium. You can write an article there and if it is popular, publish it on your blog. Or you can take a blog article and publish it on Helium. Oh - and did I mention you get paid - only pennies so don't give up your day job - but to have an article sitting somewhere slowly accruing is not bad - the more articles, the more you earn - read on and then go to Helium to see some of my other articles.

How do you discourage your young son from playing with his penis?

You don't! From the time a baby can explore his body until well into old age, the hand of a male will naturally gravitate to that area. The reasons are many but the bottom line is, you will never stop the habit.

I see two problems in the question. The first is, why do you want to stop your son? What he is doing is perfectly natural. Boys are not alone in this practice, girls also explore their own bodies. The results of course are not nearly so obvious - girls don't create a tent.

The second problem I see in a question like this is the outcome, if you are successful. If you constantly draw attention to the action, the child will become self conscious. This can have long lasting effects including their ability to maintain a successful relationship later in life.

For a young child, as they explore their body they learn that some things hurt - like if they stick their finger in their eye. They also learn that some things feel good - like playing with themselves. If you teach them that this is bad, they may take this through to adulthood - feeling good is bad. It is during these early years they learn that touching can cause an erection. However, as they are toilet trained, they also learn that not all touching leads to an erection. They start to learn control.

Males guard their tackle. You can see this more so in nature where animals have been known to attack that region first. Some animals have a tail that can be used to protect their privates. For humans, the only protection is the hand.

As a parent our role is to teach our children what is appropriate. What you can and cannot do in public, in the home and amongst other people. If this is done with a little sensitivity you will find that the child's fascination with that area will diminish and that other aspects of life will take over - until that is, they start to take notice of girls, then it starts again.