Hi @JSC001Sentry,
Thanks for writing this post. I'm sure it's one that many parents can benefit from reading.
Seeing our young ones engage in sexual activity can be quite confronting so it makes sense that you're feeling concerned. It sounds like the dynamic between the families, and the tendency for things to blow up, is contributing to your distress at the moment.
I thought I'd share some articles with you on this written by the Raising Children Network and other websites to provide you with some information around what's typical/atypical sexual behaviour:
- Problematic and harmful sexual behaviour in children and teenagers (click here). As you can see in this article discussing problematic behaviour, words such as 'persistent' or 'forcing' or 'repeatedly' used often as a way to describe someone whose sexual activity might be problematic. It sounds like what you heard/saw was a once-off experience.
- Signs of sexual abuse in children and teenagers (click here). I know you're not overly concerned about sexual abuse occurring with your children but it might give you peace of mind to check some of the signs, hence sharing this article.
- childhood sexuality (click here). The section on 'sex play' is of particular relevance to your situation.
- how to talk to your child about sex, ages 3 to 6 (click here). The section 'what should I do if I find my child in sexual play with another child' is of particular relevance to your situation.
Please let us know what you think/feel after reading these articles. As you can see, it is quite common/typical for young children to be sexually curious.
