McBirdie,

Hi, I’m a 16 yr old male…well, the other day I caught my young brother masturbating.  Do I talk with him or tell my parents (oh and one time he asked if i would join).

Please help… BSlayer

Dear BSlayer,

Masturbating–as most people on this site will be happy to attest–is a completely natural thing.  Most people do it, even if we don’t always admit to it.  So generally speaking, there is nothing that your brother is doing that requires you Talking To Him About It or telling your parents.  I’m sure your parents–who both went through puberty themselves–either know he is masturbating or figure it will be happening soon enough anyway.  Does your mother wash your laundry?  Then she knows.  Seriously.

What I would be curious about, though, is how it is that you caught him at it…especially when you mention that he asked for you to join him.  Unless you share a bedroom, in which case all bets are off, it shouldn’t be too hard for him to keep his private time private.  That he didn’t makes me wonder if he wanted to be caught–it seems possible that he has some questions about what is going on with his body and whether what he is doing is normal.  A big brother can seem a lot more approachable than a parent or teacher.

Have a chat with him about it; put his mind at ease and make sure he isn’t experiencing any anxiety or problems.  If you’ve got some questions yourself, you might want to have a look around the JackinWorld site–it’s a great resource for all things masturbation.  Consider it all part of the job of being a big brother.  You’ll get your payback when he starts introducing you to his attractive friends. All the best,

McBirdie

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