# Masturbation and Siblings. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848 "2005-04-18T04:10:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/1 "2005-04-18T04:10:42Z")
My friend, an only child, was concerned about this. He wondered how people with siblings have the privacy to pleasure themselves. Surely anyone with a brother or sister would be able to easily notice any suspicious activity. He believes that one person would go in the basement and the other would go up stairs and that they would somehow signal when they’re done :dubious: . I think it is just a don’t freaking ask don’t freaking tell policy. So how does it work? ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/2 "2005-04-18T04:18:16Z")
It’s called masturbating in the shower. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/3 "2005-04-18T04:28:48Z")
Had siblings. Had my own room. Never really cared (after about sixteen) if they knew or not. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/4 "2005-04-18T04:31:36Z")
I grew up sharing a bedroom with my younger brother and sister. They tended to go to sleep earlier than I did. What happened under the covers on my side of the room didn’t make enough noise to wake 'em up. I’m not one of these OOH AAH EEK orgasmers. Quick & silent, that’s me. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/5 "2005-04-18T05:17:42Z")
“My FRIEND”…yeah sure. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/6 "2005-04-18T05:29:59Z")
Well, my brother and I had our own rooms. But there was also this deeper understanding about each other; I hardly know how to explain it. Basically, both of us knew what was going on, we pretty much kept to ourselves. This also extended to relationships. One weekend my brother was over and we went on a double date. We got back to my parents place (they were away) and both of us took our respective girlfriends into each other’s rooms, fully aware of what was going on but respectfully silent about the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/7 "2005-04-18T05:37:12Z")
I had (still have when I’m not at school) my own room. I went there on a regular basis, to read, or do my homework, or listen or music or whatever. If I happened to go in there and choke the chicken, who was to know? ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/8 "2005-04-18T05:44:50Z")
If your sister wonders why her socks are always sticky, suggest she switches away from those nice fuzzy ones (or ooh, the silky ones) to abrasive boys socks. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/9 "2005-04-18T05:59:54Z")
You know… I have three brothers and I cannot recall ever being in the same room with any of them while one of us was masturbating. Or any number greater than one. Perverts. I can’t speak for them, but I did most of my whackin’ in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/10 "2005-04-18T06:05:08Z")
I had to share a room with my sister in my early teens. I didn’t so much as touch myself unless she was out of the room. I got home from school an hour or so earlier than she did, so that was when I did my thing. When I had my own room again, it wasn’t an issue. I don’t know what she did. I don’t want to know, although it might be amusing to call her up and ask. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/11 "2005-04-18T06:54:41Z")
All that matters is being the only one in a room with a locking door(or a house with no one else around, but the locking door is to counteract Murphy’s law). As long as someone is quiet and anything noticable is cleaned up, who’s going to know? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/12 "2005-04-18T06:59:51Z")
I shared a room with my older brother until we moved to a larger house and each had his own room. This was also the exact age when I discovered the pleasures of life. But I never caught him in the act before the move (I wouldn’t have known what he was doing anyway; I didn’t even know what \*\*\*I \*\*\*was doing at first. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/13 "2005-04-18T12:04:04Z")
> [@Rooves](#): > > “My FRIEND”…yeah sure. I did not want to take credit for his joke. I believe I mentioned my theory on the subject and that I wanted to know too. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/14 "2005-04-18T12:13:39Z")
Makes you wonder how all those families living, in one room,all around the world cope? Kinda makes you wonder how anyone ever got through the urge. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/15 "2005-04-18T12:40:25Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Makes you wonder how all those families living, in one room,all around the world cope? > > Kinda makes you wonder how anyone ever got through the urge. By marrying at 13 and having lots and lots of children. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masturbation-and-siblings/299848/16 "2005-04-18T15:15:07Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Well, my brother and I had our own rooms. > > We got back to my parents place (they were away) and both of us took our respective girlfriends into each other’s rooms, fully aware of what was going on but respectfully silent about the matter. Why did you use your brother’s room when you had your own? 😛 Just kidding. I grew up with 4 other sibs-each had their own room. I never once witnessed anybody masturbate at any time, anywhere. I did find my big brother’s stash of Playboy’s under his mattress, though…