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Puberty

mom2teen

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Hi all

I am new here and something happened this morning where I am stuck and I don't know who to turn too.

I have a son who is 11 and ( okay I am blushing ) but when I stripped his bed to wash his sheets, I think he may have had a wet dream.

Now I am so embarrised and as a single mom, I don't know what to do. Do I approach him and explain why this happened? What if it wasn't and he was masturbating,,,, I am like feeling so clueless right now and feel like a failure being his mom and parent...

Can someone help me

Lost mom
 

Hadassah_

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You're not a failure of a mom so get that out of your head right now. However, you do need to quit blushing and turn more matter of fact because this is a natural bodily function and he needs to feel comfortable talking to you about it.

I ran into this a few years ago with my oldest and it's a very natural occurance.

First off, has he said anything to you about it? How has he acted in the mornings?

I would simply mention you noticed his sheets were soiled and if he has anything to talk to you about.

When this happened he came to me bawling because he wasn't expecting it. He wasn't masturbating, he wasn't dreaming, it just happened.

Regardless of what happened talk to him about it, open the discussion and go from there.

You also might want to pray about how you feel about masturbation for your family. If you believe it to be a sin then you need to address that.

KWIM?

I hope this was helpful for you. Hang tough because we all know it's a struggle! :D :groupray:
 
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hedrick

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You most certainly haven't failed. You've succeeded in getting your son through childhood in one piece. He's now officially an adolescent. Even if masturbation was a problem (Christians seem about 50-50 on this. I don't think it is), it's almost certainly not a sign of masturbation. Unless he's got a lot less savvy than most kids, you wouldn't see that. Rather, it's a sign that he's reached puberty. The attitude I recommend is "congratulations, you're now an adolescent. Do you want to talk?" Whether you actually say that or not, that's what should come through.

If this is the first time it has happened to him, this isn't the time to talk about the dangers of masturbation, even if you think masturbation is a problem.

Think of it like a girl having her first period, except that boys sometimes aren't as well prepared, and may not be sure what's going on. I knew the biology, but it still was slightly unexpected. Nobody had ever quite told me that this was the first sign I'd see that I was (in the immortal words of Data from STTNG) "fully functional". Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think sex education is always finished by 11. So he may not know as much as he should. I'd try to tactfully check out both his knowledge and how he thinks about his body and relationships with girls. He may well need to fill in gaps.

I leave it to you to figure out whether to refer to what you found or not. If he hasn't brought it up, he could well be embarrassed to do so, though it's just as likely that he doesn't think it's a big deal and doesn't need much help. If you're not doing so already, I would *unobtrusively* make sure he's always got spare pajamas or whatever he sleeps in, that there's some kind of quilted or rubber mattress protector, and that he can easily get to a bathroom without you coming to investigate, if he wants to clean himself up (although it's not mandatory for him to do that). It's going to happen, one way or the other. As a single mom, you might also make sure he's got a couple of guys he can talk to if he'd prefer that.
 
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mom2teen

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Hi all

I first want to say thank you for shedding some light on this subject. I was so embarrised writing it but I had to seek advice. It's amazing when Christians come together to offer support, AMEN to you both.

No, he hasn't mentioned anything,, so I am confused to see if I should say something or leave it alone. What if it was not a wet dream and he was masturbating, what if it was a wet dream and he wasn't masturbating.

AWWWWWW

I mean, I don't ever remember my husband having this wet dream,,, is this something that happens throughout their life?

He has a male mentor but maybe I should speak to the mentor and see if he can sense anything or have this talk but then I feel horrible because as his mom, I can't explain this because its so embarrising.

I did pray about this last night, though God can steer me in the right direction but so far , he gave no signs on which side if the road I should drive on.


Mom
 
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hedrick

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God may have more confidence in you than you do.

No, he hasn't mentioned anything,, so I am confused to see if I should say something or leave it alone. What if it was not a wet dream and he was masturbating, what if it was a wet dream and he wasn't masturbating.

I'll be more explicit if I have to be, but since somebody masturbates voluntarily I'd think they would choose a place or approach that doesn't leave something for their mom to clean up. I doubt that's what is going on.

I'm not a counsellor, so I hate to give advice. I'd think it would be better for you or his mentor to say something, but I make no guarantees.

If you're pretty sure it was sexual activity of some sort, I'd say the goal would be to let him see that you understand that he's now an adolescent, that you're happy with that, and he can talk with you. So the conversation doesn't have to be more than a sentence or two if you don't sense that he wants to talk. I brought it up myself, and the response was no more than that. But I could tell that my parents were fine, and it never bothered me. It could just be "hey, I noticed ... on your sheet. I assume you've probably started having what a lot of people call "wet dreams." I want to make sure you know that's normal at your age. It means your sex organs have started to work. I guess you're now officially an adolescent. Congratulations. Do you have any questions or want to talk about it? if you'd rather talk to a guy, you could talk to [name of mentor]."

Again, he may be fine. A combination of sex education and his own good sense may have left him just fine, but I'd feel safer if you knew. He's a kid who is having changes he may not quite understand happen to his body. He needs support, and he needs to know that you accept it, and he doesn't have to hide it from you. You want to be able to talk with him about his attitude towards girls, dating, etc. That will be easier if you're easy to talk with from the beginning. Don't expect a long or deep conversation, by the way. Just enough to let him sense your attitude.

Let him get comfortable with the idea of being an adolescent before you worry about masturbation, if you're going to worry about it. (Again, I don't recommend being concerned. If he's at all smart, you'll never know if he is, and you may want to leave it that way.)

When you start trying to assess how serious his relationships are with girls and what is appropriate (and that's going to be coming a lot more quickly than you probably want it to), it may not be practical for someone else to do it all for you. That's why I'd be inclined to suggest not delegating the whole thing to a mentor, though the mentor can certainly help you.

I do recommend assessing the mentor's attitudes. Not all adults can deal calmly with adolescent sexuality. Somebody could be a great pal for going out to ball games, but not be appropriate for this.

I mean, I don't ever remember my husband having this wet dream,,, is this something that happens throughout their life?

Now you're getting beyond my expertise. I can't say what all men experience. Wikipedia says it is common in adolescence and young adults, and less so later. I would think it's less likely if you're having regular sex or masturbating regularly, but Wikipedia says the evidence isn't so clear. Apparently some guys do and some don't, and it may be different at different ages. But since it's more common for adolescents, and it's variable anyway, it's not a surprise that your husband didn't. Note that if he does get them, it could happen every couple of weeks, so there's a good chance this will happen regularly. I'd suggest trying to get yourself comfortable with it before the next time.

It looks like age 11 is about the norm.
 
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hedrick

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By the way, this is a sub forum without much activity. You might want a few more people commenting. The main parenting forum, or (to get a point of view closer to your son's) the Young Adult forum would probably get more people. I'm happy to help, but I think you might be better off to get another guy or two to respond.
 
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Hadassah_

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Hi all

I first want to say thank you for shedding some light on this subject. I was so embarrised writing it but I had to seek advice. It's amazing when Christians come together to offer support, AMEN to you both.

No, he hasn't mentioned anything,, so I am confused to see if I should say something or leave it alone. What if it was not a wet dream and he was masturbating, what if it was a wet dream and he wasn't masturbating.

AWWWWWW

I mean, I don't ever remember my husband having this wet dream,,, is this something that happens throughout their life?

He has a male mentor but maybe I should speak to the mentor and see if he can sense anything or have this talk but then I feel horrible because as his mom, I can't explain this because its so embarrising.

I did pray about this last night, though God can steer me in the right direction but so far , he gave no signs on which side if the road I should drive on.


Mom
I'll be honest...the chances of him masturbating at 11 are slim to none. Most 11 year olds don't put two and two together. That usually doesn't happen until 13-15.

It's usually an adolescent occurance so you likely won't see it in men.

As for speaking to his mentor, there is that option, or you could just talk to him about it yourself. I have two boys, 15 and 11 and I talk to them about everything from sex to masturbation to female cycles...there's nothing we don't talk about. If they don't hear about it from me they're going to hear about it from school or their friends. I might as well tell them the truth about what's what.
 
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Catherineanne

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Hi all

I am new here and something happened this morning where I am stuck and I don't know who to turn too.

I have a son who is 11 and ( okay I am blushing ) but when I stripped his bed to wash his sheets, I think he may have had a wet dream.

Now I am so embarrised and as a single mom, I don't know what to do. Do I approach him and explain why this happened? What if it wasn't and he was masturbating,,,, I am like feeling so clueless right now and feel like a failure being his mom and parent...

Can someone help me

Lost mom

Yes. Find a quiet moment and say, 'I noticed that you had a special kind of dream last night. Do you want to talk about it?'

The chances are he will squirm a bit, in which case you just need to say, 'OK, we don't have to talk about it, as long as you know it is perfectly normal, and part of growing up. All boys get these at around your age, and there is nothing wrong with you.'

Don't mention masturbation. In my view this is a subject best left alone between parents and children unless the child asks. Pretend never to notice, if that happens.

The calmer and more accepting of this you are, the less shame he will feel. After all, if this is the first time this has happened, he might well be confused and worried. Remember when you began your periods and how confusing it all was; this is likely to be just as confusing for him.

Good luck.
 
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Hadassah_

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So how do you feel comfortable enough since your a mom and you have sons.
Catherineanne posted a great conversation starter. :)

And I'll be honest, I don't always feel comfortable but I have always felt it's not about my comfort (or the boys for that matter) but about making sure they are informed, feel safe, and understand they can always come to me about anything.
 
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CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN

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I would have him wash his own sheets and clothes now,tell him because he old enough to be washing .I would maybe talk to him about protecion and abstinence,if he chooses to have sex,but wouldn't talk to him,about how u know he had a wet dream or got semon on sheet,he might be horrified.
 
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