There are so many mixed reviews on this topic. Some experts tell you to wait until your children are “curious” or they start asking quesitons. Others, like the two leading health organizations in England, believe that mandatory sex education beginning at age 4 will reduce the rate of abortion and STDs. With my own children, now age 7, we’ve always been very open about the topic. Not exactly forthcoming but not withholding either. We did procure the book, “What’s the Big Secret” several months ago and while I wouldn’t say they’re exactly wrapped, I would tell you that they’re definitely interested and have asked a multitude of questions since we first read it together as a family.
So, I wasn’t at all surprised when a good friend of mine and mom of 3 boys (ages 7, 5 and 16mo) sent me an email this morning that had me on the ground laughing and made a good bid for beginning to clarify some of the details of how babies are made earlier rather than later. BTW, the names have been changed to protect the innocent–I mean really innocent. Out of the mouths of babes…
“Sitting with the kids at breakfast.. Alex is asking all kinds of questions about college etc. And he is asking about having a wife and kids after college…etc. Alex then (out of nowhere) says..”So Mom, I know that the Mom has to have surgery and stuff to get the baby out..but what does the Dad have to do with it? Does he have some sort of surgery too?” “No”..I explain, the Dad doesn’t have any sort of surgery, but actually the Mom couldn’t have a baby without the help of the Dad…..pause….pause…(wait for it)…he’s thinking… “So how does the Dad help out?” I go on to explain that Dads make this stuff called sperm, and the sperm mixes with eggs that are inside Mom and they start to grow a baby…Alex then asks..where is this sperm located..I tell him it comes out of his penis….pause….pause…pause…ok….and then he drops this one.. “So Mom..does the Dad put his penis in his wife’s mouth so she can get the sperm?”
And so goes the first real conversation I have had with my kids about baby making…might have to borrow your graphic..freaky cartoon book…”
It’s really a pretty good book–graphic yes, but it does give all the right, age-appropriate bits of knowledge. However, it doesn’t include anything on Saphires.
Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Sam
Filed under: Uncategorized
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