Masturbation
Masturbation is normal childhood behavior. Infants and toddlers are interested in all parts of their bodies. Their genital areas seem no different to them than their nose or mouth. When toddlers are being potty trained, so much attention is focused on their genitals that they’ll naturally want to touch them. Touching their genitals is innocent and harmless; they are doing nothing morally wrong.
Adults who scold a child or punish this behavior can create a different problem; the child will not understand why they shouldn’t touch themselves, and may grow up thinking their genitals are sinful and dirty. Toddlers or preschoolers quickly grow out of touching themselves in public. If they don’t see anyone around them doing the same thing, they will soon stop.
If masturbation seems to be a tension release for a child, help that child find other ways to feel better. If a child masturbates at a certain time every day, or after a certain activity, anticipate it and try to redirect the child to something else.
Any observations you make about a child’s behavior, whether it is masturbation or something else, discuss the issue with your host family.