on his skin

[namsteven]

Dear Teachers,

A. I’m 18, puberty wasn’t that far off for me so I understand what your son must be going through.
- “puberty wasn’t that far off for me” means “puberty wasn’t that strange for me”, right?

B. Your son is doing exactly what gets attention to him, and that is carving on his skin.
- Does “that’s carving on his skin” have a figuretive meaning here?

Thanks a million

Namsteven

[Philly]

Hi Namsteven
.
A. I understand "wasn't that far off" to mean wasn't too long ago.
.
B. It's hard to say without further context, but I can imagine that "carving on his skin" possibly means "getting tatoos."
.

[Ouisch]

Originally Posted by namsteven

B. Your son is doing exactly what gets attention to him, and that is carving on his skin.
- Does “that’s carving on his skin” have a figuretive meaning here?

This may refer to the habit of "cutting." Usually teenaged girls do it, but some males do it as well. It's a form of self-abuse, similar to anorexia nervosa or hair-pulling.

[curmudgeon]

Carving on his skin is, as Ouisch suggests, attention-seeking behaviour. In the UK it is often described as 'self-harm' and the people who do it, usually inadequate or dysfunctional young females, are referred to as 'self-harmers'.

BBC- One Life - Health - Healthy Mind - Self-harm