What's normal interest in boobs?

[Anonymous]

My 8 year old boy is totally fascinated with and possibly obsessed with boobs. Mine, for sure. I have to dress like a nun. Pictures of other women's. If he sees some cleavage in a picture, he starts going nuts. "Hee hee, look, mom, boobies!" He can't keep his hands off his sister's Barbie dolls; I have started hiding them because I just can't deal.

Normal for this age? Or... weird?

[Anonymous]

I'm so glad you posted this. With the exception of the Barbie doll thing (my daughter doesn't play with hers that much), my son behaves the same way. I was starting to wonder, too.

[Anonymous]

20:13 here...my son is 8, too.

[Anonymous]

My six year old boy is just coming out of a boob obsession. I'm sure it could appear again!

I do my best to ignore it, but I draw the line at him affectionately patting my boobs like puppies.

[Anonymous]

Normal normal normal.

[Anonymous]

OK, so does it ever go away? Or do they just learn how to keep it hidden?

I swear it is freaking me out -- if it weren't directed at ME maybe I coudl handle it better.

[Anonymous]

My nephew was the same way. he grew out of it-it peeks back in every once in a while.
The best thing to do is not take it lightly, but be open with your son about what they are. I would make clear boundary lines as to what they are and what is appropriate and inapproriate behavior concerning boobies and other "private" parts. My sister and I spoke about this. The idea was that we wanted our children to know what is approriate touching of body parts and what is not okay. I believe that if you make light of "private" body parts, kids may not take it seriuosly if something happened to them. At 8 years old he should understand this concept.


C

[Anonymous]

Uhhmmm....you all have husbands, right? Are at least passingly familiar with how big the porn industry is? Realize how much money is spent on implants? Yep, it's normal. Nope, it doesn't go away. Yep, they learn to hide it better.

BTW, my 2 boys are a bit like the original poster's...no Barbies, though, no girls in the house. My 40 yr old husband controls it in public.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I knew men were obsessed with boobs. I just didn't think of my 8 year old as a "man"!

[Anonymous]

23:32 here. Let me play armchair child psychologist for a minute.

I'll posit that with younger kids who were breastfed, and for that matter even the ones that weren't, it's a funny transition for them to go from having access to mom's body all the time to these parts now being private. As our kids get even older, the privacy boundaries change in more ways (e.g., I don't mind a three year old barging in on me in the bathroom the way I mind a seven year old doing it), and our kids process this in their way, which can include a boob obsession.