Why are 8 year-olds Moaning?

“My [8 year-old] kid came back from school moaning and cracking up. 😳 Where do I even begin?” -Mom who can’t believe she’s writing this question!

If you are feeling uncomfortable because kids are making moaning sounds, you are not alone! This “moaning trend” seems to be happening at every grade-school across the states. Many parents have asked me, “Why are kids making this sound?” and “Where did kids pick up this behavior and decide to start mimicking it?”

Unfortunately, I don’t know where the trend started or why it’s now happening more frequently, but I can tell you that it isn’t new. Many folks have commented to share that kids have been doing this behavior as a prank for 10-15 years now. While it may not be a new trend per se, it is making a lot of us uncomfortable hearing our kids make sexual moaning sounds. So what do we do?

The first thing we need to do as parents is address it. Not ignore it and definitely don’t pretend we didn’t hear it - because this is not a harmless trend. For some individuals, hearing this sound can bring back traumatic memories from abuse they have gone through. And while the children participating in this trend may think it is harmless, it can be triggering for some individuals and in some cases it can be considered a form of harassment.

Now that you know that you have to address the moaning behavior, What do you say? Just tell them to “Stop moaning?” Well…that’s the basic gist of it but you’ve gotta go a step further and explain WHY.