Let's Talk About Sex, Baby.....

(and yes, I am singing the Salt 'n' Pepa lyrics as I typed that title out)

I grew up in a house that was open about everything.  My parents answered any questions we asked as open and honestly as they could.  They didn't go into detail, but gave us the facts of what we needed to know, and took our lead as to how much to talk about.

I always knew that I would be the same type of parent.  From the time the boys were babies we labelled body parts appropriately, no slang terms have been used.  We have talked about normal body functions that have been brought up, but up until now there haven't been many questions about babies.

I thought Mr. J would ask when I was pregnant with Mr. K, but he didn't. He asked how the baby got OUT (and I answered) but he never asked how it got IN.

Now that he is 7, I kept trying to think of how I could bring it up, but I couldn't think of a way to do it without making it into a big thing.  Until tonight.  Bedtime became Sex Ed 101 in our home tonight!

A teacher at his school is pregnant, and at bedtime we were chatting and she came into the conversation. Then he asked...."Mommy, how does the baby get INSIDE a tummy?"

I was a little shocked, and while I have thought out this conversation many times in my head, it went blank. I took a minute or so to think about the best way to continue.

I said that when a mommy and daddy wanted to have a baby, the man puts his penis into a womans vagina, and sometimes it creates a baby.

He didn't understand. 

"But, how does it happen?" he asks

So, since my mind had gone blank, I said the first thing that came to it

"A vagina is kind of like a hole, and a penis is kind of like a stick. A penis fits into the vagina like a stick fits into a hole" He thinks...."oh, I get it - you have a stick hole" .... "NO - it's not a stick hole, it is a vagina" 

"But mommy, how does a penis fit inside?" "The man puts it inside - It's called making love, and it's beautiful and wonderful, but it is VERY private, between the two people".... he thinks, 

"But mommy, I don't understand how it fits inside?" he says

"Well, when boys grow up, their bodies change which makes it possible. We can talk about all those changes as you get older and if you have any questions, you can ask me or daddy"

"Ok mommy" and he rolls over and goes to sleep

I am quite amazed that I managed to make it through that conversation without dying of laughter....and I don't think I will ever look at a stick the same way ...

Have you talked about reproduction with your kids? How did the conversation go?

You can read some of my thoughts on sex education in this older post