There comes a time in every parent's life when she must face the bitter truth. This time usually comes at the most inopportune moment and without very little warning. For me, the time did have some small warning and I was able to control the exact timing of the moment when "the conversation" actually took place. It was still rather difficult and - ahem - shocking, to say the least.
For about two weeks, Kira has been asking vague questions about certain aspects of human biology. I provided vague answers and noted in my mind that it was time to bring out THE BOOK for her.
THE BOOK, you ask? Which book would that be? There are so many.
Ah - but there is only ONE book that is perfectly suitable for providing answers to those all important biology questions that young children will inevitably ask.
**I would like to make it clear at this point that it is my own personal opinion that the questions children ask should be answered with complete honesty, no matter how difficult this may be for the parent. Telling a child that babies come from storks, cabbage patches, or "magic" is not only bad form but it also makes it more difficult to have open discussions later in your child's life when those discussions will really matter.**
The book I chose for this all important discussion is one that I purchased many years ago when Gibson was only 6 years old and started asking his own set of questions. Mind you, Gibson's set of questions were not nearly as - hmm - specific... or detailed... or difficult. Just like the stretch marks that Kira refused to recycle when I was pregnant with her, she also had to use her very own set of questions. Luckily, THE BOOK works well for all sets of questions.
Right about now you're probably wondering what book I'm talking about. Well - It's So Amazing!
No, no, no, silly.... That's the name of the book.
It's So Amazing! A book about eggs, sperm, birth, babies, and families.
I love this book because it is written in a very child friendly and parent friendly format. It talks about many different types of families and gives straight forward, factual information on the creation of babies. It helps that the book is written sort of as a comic strip with a bird and a bee having interesting conversations along the way. There is also a great deal of parental directed humor for the adult's reading pleasure. When I first picked this book up all those years ago, I sat in the middle of the book store and laughed for half an hour as I flipped through the pages reading the comic strips.
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For those of you who enjoy a bit of comedy, here's a few of the lovely little questions that Kira asked when I pulled out THE BOOK after we had a few moments to browse the pictures inside.
1) What is sperm and where does it come from?
The sperm comes from the Daddy and helps make the baby.
2) How does the Mommy get the sperm?
The Daddy shares his sperm with the Mommy.
3) How does the Daddy share his sperm with the Mommy?
The Mommy and Daddy put their bodies close together and that's how the Daddy shares the sperm with the Mommy.
4) blink blink blink - But HOW does the sperm get inside to the Mommy's egg?
**red faced Mommy** Well, you see these pictures here. The Mommy private parts and the Daddy private parts are made to fit together like a puzzle and that's how the Daddy shares the sperm with the Mommy.
5) Did YOU do that, Mommy?
Well, Yeah. How do you think you got here, honey?
6) So if a Mommy and Daddy wanted to have a boy and a girl, they would have to do that twice, right?
** I decided not to go in the mechanics of exactly how many times it might take to actually manage to make a baby. Sometimes it is best to just NOD AND SMILE.**
Great thinking, Kira. I like how you are using your Math skills to reason out problems.
7) BIG LIGHT BULB OVER KIRA'S HEAD --- I bet they have to take their underwear off to do that!
**Nod and smile.**
This was about the time that I ended the conversation with "BEDTIME" ... after TWENTY very long and excruciating minutes of honesty.
