I had an erection while sleeping in my sister’s bed

Dear Pastor,

I am 19 years old and I have an embarrassing question. I was sleeping on the same bed with one of my sisters and when I woke up I found myself with an erection.

My sister told my mother what she saw, and they were laughing at me. My mother told her that it was natural but she told my mother that it can't be natural, and that I am rude. I was not thinking of any girl or anything like that. My sister saw everything because my penis protruded out of my pyjamas.

My sister is 17 years old. I told my mother that I am not going to sleep on the same bed with my sister anymore so I am sleeping on the floor. Pastor, I have a large penis and that is what my sister is talking about, and mocking me.

Initials Withheld

Dear Initial Withheld,

You need not worry. Waking up with an erection does not necessarily mean that you were thinking of sex or you were sexually stimulated. It is quite natural. Men experience this when they are a certain age. This happened to boys even when they are less than 10 years old. In fact, there isn't any age limit, per se, because men in their 30s and 40s do experience this sort of erection. However, that experience is less frequent the older a man gets. But it does happen occasionally.

Don't hold that against your sister. Your sister reacted when she saw you but she meant no harm. Don't bother about it at all. You don't have to be ashamed of what she saw.

Pastor