Sad Over Childhood Sexual Experimentation
Clinical psychologist Dr Joseph M Carver, PhD, offers replies to reader questions submitted anonymously to Ask the Psychologist.
Reader’s Question
I have been feeling kind of sad and depressed after I recently remembered having had a sexual experience with a younger sibling when we were children. Is this normal? How can I stop beating up myself over it?
Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply
It’s not uncommon for children to “play doctor” and be curious about sexuality. This curiosity often leads to sexual behavior and experimentation. While curiosity is normal, the sexual behaviors of children range from the commonplace to the rarely-encountered. At the age you mentioned (withheld to prevent identification), your behavior was not uncommon. If you have a good relationship with your younger sibling, this is probably an indication that they have viewed the incident as childhood behavior and believe it’s no longer an issue. I would suggest that you forgive yourself and move on.
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