Birds and the Bees – HELP!
So, I was picking up G Man (aged 6) from school last week and I happened to mention that I was going out as soon as we got home to pick Hiccup up from the vets.
Why is Hiccup at the vets G Man asks.
Well, I say, we took him in to have an operation.
What sort of operation?
Hiccup is having an operation so that he cant have any baby cats I tell him confidently, feeling that was going to be the end of the conversation.
*ten seconds silence*
Mummy, how do cats have babies?
*cue thinking music*
Well, I say, cats have babies the same way Mummies and Daddies have babies.
How do Mummies and Daddies have babies?
Well……(slight mental panic) Daddy gives Mummy a seed and it goes in Mummy’s tummy and a baby grows in there.
*wide eyes and massive thinking time*
So I grew in your tummy Mummy?
Yes!
(whew!!, got out of that one *mental high five*)
Mummy?
(warily) Yes?
How did I get out of your tummy?
Well……. (massive mental panic) you know how you and Daddy and Master J all have winkies and Mummy doesn’t?
Yes
Well……..
Ummmm……..
Lets ask Daddy when we get home huh??
*arrive home*
G Man runs in – Daddy, how did I get out of Mummy’s tummy when I was a baby?
WTF??? Mr Point Fives eyes say to me?
*hurried husband and wife kitchen talking*
I explain as best as I could our car conversation – I don’t know what to tell him I say, can you help?
Don’t look at me, he says, I would have said Hiccup went to the vets for his injections.
FARK.
I SO should have thought of that!
**********
What would YOU say? Is six too young to be told all the gory details of childbirth?
I cant tell you how tempted I was to tell him he came out of my bellybutton, but I didn’t.
Oh LOOK! What’s that over there?? Distraction for the WIN.
Does anyone have any good book suggestions that we should buy?
I remember the “Where Did I Come From?” book but I cannot remember how old I was when I was shown it. Surely not six??
Is that still the best one?
HELP! I was so not prepared for that conversation with my six year old!
They grow up fast these days! You could have said ‘he had to have an operation so he doesn’t get cancer’ – think that has discussion problems which shouldn’t be quite as awkward! Best of luck!
My son asked me when he was 4 & I was preg with his sister, thank god I had c-sect. I told him “the doctor takes the baby out”…”but how mum?” “He cuts me open pulls the baby out & sews me back up”
When I was pregnant, I accidentally put my sister in law in that situation with her then 5 year old. He wanted to know how the baby comes out and my sister in law was most relieved she had a C-section in that moment!! Maybe you could have said that you go to the doctors’ and they help you…oh gosh…that is tricky…I guess you just answer minimally and pray there are no more questions haha.
I do not look forward to that conversation – best of luck x
KezUnprepared recently posted…Thought sorting.
I was lucky I suppose in that I had a c-section so I just explained (to my very curious 3 going on 13 year old!!) that the doctor cut her out of my tummy. Thankfully she hasn’t asked how she got in there.
Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages recently posted…My New Shop
Oh man we are kind of in the same place having the same discussions at the moment… almost 😉 xx
My (then) 4 yr old daughter cornered me when I was on the toilet and asked me how they come out. I couldn’t avoid her so I had to either lie or tell the truth so I just told her “they come out from the vagina”. Her eyes opened wide in shock and then she gave me the “you’re always pulling my leg but I’m 4 now and I can see through it” look. I said “it’s true- where else could they come out?” She seemed pretty satisfied that I was actually telling the truth so I told her if she had any other questions she should ask me and then she left me in peace. About half an hour later she came up to me and said “so that’s why when people have a baby only the dad and the doctor go in, because it’s private, so everyone else waits outside” and then followed it up with “ohhhh and that’s why they always have to wash the baby and wrap it in blankets! Because it came from a vagina!” She was so calm and logical about it. She still hasn’t asked how the baby gets there…. Thank goodness!!!!!!!!!