We were just sitting down to dinner, when my four year old dropped the bomb. "Where do babies come from. I know mommies tummies but how do they get in there?" My interior monologue..."Oh shit, oh shit..don't freak out..act normal"
What I said was. "There are a few ways" O.K. I was buying time, trying to get my story together, try to figure out how graphic I should get. Not at all I decided. "Mommies and Daddies make them." Sprung out of my mouth. But as soon as I heard myself say it, I knew it didn't fly, even in her limited experience she knows sometimes there aren't moms and dads, sometimes there are just dads or just moms. I'm hoping I registered all that as quickly as I think I did. I continued "If there are two Daddies they find a women to help them, and if there are two mommies they find a man." Then I started thinking about the adopted children we know and felt I needed to throw something in about them."Sometimes, people can't take care of their baby and they give it to a family that wants a baby to love."
She seemed happy with all that. Then asked to see the baby picture of herself, these include Ultrasounds of her that she loves.
So I escaped, without too much trauma this time. I'm wondering how long till she puts together that I didn't really answer her question. Where will we be when she busts out with "yeah but HOW do mommies and daddies make them?" Then what do I say???
I guess I'll go Scarlette O'hara on that and worry about it tomorrow. Maybe I better buy a book.
Any suggestions?
3 comments:
I really don't have any suggestions for you at this time, since I have been in your shoes a few times already and freaked out. I, like you, scram around in my mind to come up with the most logical answer that would pacify an inquisitive 4 and 6 year old. My latest attempt was to say, "Mommy and daddy love each other and they get married, then they decide to have a baby, so they start to love each other so much and spend allot of time together, blah, blah, blah. Then, I hit them with what they really want to know "How did it get in the belly, and how does it come out." I did answer the part of how it comes out; that the doctor cuts it out of mommy's belly (Which is partially true). That's all I can spit out at this time. I will try again this year, because I am certain it will come up.
I don't see why they can't just get the details from their friends. It's like I'm expected to do everything??!!
Elise, your comment here is pretty right on!
I've just told my girls to check everything they hear from their friends with me and I'll clarify the information. It allows me to know where they're coming from, and use language that means something to them.
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