THE BIRDS AND THE BEES

First of all, I'm not one of those moms who thinks it's best to keep her kids naive, and then one day discovers her teenagers have learned everything anyway, but from shady sources in questionable methods.

I'm of the opinion that when my kid is ready to ask me about something, I should be ready to explain it. And be truthful.

I didn't think I'd be asked about reproduction by a 6 year old though. I don't know if any parent is ever fully prepared to talk about that to their child.

I was looking through Hyrum's anatomy book when Talea noticed a picture of the female reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries). She asked me what they were, so I explained it all to her, and what they're for...egg production, periods, and baby development. She kept asking for more and more detail until before I knew it, I had explained about eggs and sperm and the whole shebang, EXCEPT I conveniently left out the part about how the sperm even gets in a girl in the first place...I'm not convinced a 6 year old really needs to be thinking about that part. I showed her some videos on sperm motility and how they get in the egg. She thought sperm look hilarious, and we did find a funny video showing a sperm with a rose in his mouth, as though he was courting the egg. It was a good talk. Not uncomfortable, or gross, or perverted, or sexual. Just plain informational and biological.


What I didn't plan on was the artwork! She got all creative and painted a picture of an egg being penetrated, and the other sperm trying to get in, then educated her siblings about it. I found it...artistic, accurate, and creative.

I was just a little nervous about her going around telling other kids about the whole system. So, all you mothers out there, never fear. I made sure she knows it's not her job to teach other kids about it, and that other parents may freak out if she teaches their kids about bodies. She will leave it to parents to explain to her peers how our bodies work and what's inside of us.