Salaams. We live in a complex with other houses within the same yard, and there are a few kids of the same age, including mine who play with each other happily as kids do. The mother to one of them messaged me to say she caught my boy (8 years) and her boy (7) in her house half undressed exploring each other (my words). She is more worried than fuming, and I understand. It is not the first time this has happened between the two, and both times my boy has been made to be the guilty one, as he is older. Yet I also say he is still a child.
Both my wife and I were/are of course very bothered, and took action by disciplining him, making him sit down and understand it's wrong, and why it's wrong. Alhamdulillah life moved on. Then the same thing apparently happened another time, and the mother once again came barging in to complain to my wife. As it turned out another older kid was there, and the 7 year boy (6 at that time) was lying for whatever reason, as my 8 year old (7 years then) was not even present when her son complained to her. My son was proven innocent, yet the mother did not once came to apologise for her false accusations.
More importantly, now that it has happened again, and could be happening more frequently than I'd like to imagine, how do you suggest I deal with this? On the one hand, they are children, and the internet tells me that it's normal as part of their sexual development growing https://www.healthychildren.org/Eng...ol/Pages/Sexual-Behaviors-Young-Children.aspx or this https://sexpositivefamilies.com/how-to-respond-to-genital-play-between-kids/ or this https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm. On the other hand, it could very well be a disturbing trend, and also that these websites don't use deen as a basis, but chances are also their research is based on their own societies which we would never consider normal or Islamic. I plead to Allah to guide me, and protect our children as I pray 2 rakaat salaah and prostrate before Him.
Some help here please;
1. What does the deen teach us regarding this? Are there any hadith or stories I can draw from? How do I teach my boy? Counselling for the boy?
2. Is it something to be concerned about? The other mother suggests it may be happening at school, and that's where my son is bringing it from.
3. Do I defend my boy? I fear my child will have a label on him as he grows up.
4. How do I deal with this situation together with both families?
Sorry, but I haven't been able to articulate as I want to. May Allah bless you all. JazakAllah
Both my wife and I were/are of course very bothered, and took action by disciplining him, making him sit down and understand it's wrong, and why it's wrong. Alhamdulillah life moved on. Then the same thing apparently happened another time, and the mother once again came barging in to complain to my wife. As it turned out another older kid was there, and the 7 year boy (6 at that time) was lying for whatever reason, as my 8 year old (7 years then) was not even present when her son complained to her. My son was proven innocent, yet the mother did not once came to apologise for her false accusations.
More importantly, now that it has happened again, and could be happening more frequently than I'd like to imagine, how do you suggest I deal with this? On the one hand, they are children, and the internet tells me that it's normal as part of their sexual development growing https://www.healthychildren.org/Eng...ol/Pages/Sexual-Behaviors-Young-Children.aspx or this https://sexpositivefamilies.com/how-to-respond-to-genital-play-between-kids/ or this https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm. On the other hand, it could very well be a disturbing trend, and also that these websites don't use deen as a basis, but chances are also their research is based on their own societies which we would never consider normal or Islamic. I plead to Allah to guide me, and protect our children as I pray 2 rakaat salaah and prostrate before Him.
Some help here please;
1. What does the deen teach us regarding this? Are there any hadith or stories I can draw from? How do I teach my boy? Counselling for the boy?
2. Is it something to be concerned about? The other mother suggests it may be happening at school, and that's where my son is bringing it from.
3. Do I defend my boy? I fear my child will have a label on him as he grows up.
4. How do I deal with this situation together with both families?
Sorry, but I haven't been able to articulate as I want to. May Allah bless you all. JazakAllah