I was standing at the kitchen counter overlooking the living room where The May Queen was getting dressed for school. As I packed her lunch she was talking to me about babies and how they ate. She expressed that babies must be REALLY hungry while they are still in their mommy's tummy. I explained about umbilical cords and belly buttons. She kept getting dressed.
Then it happened.
"How do babies get OUT of their mommy's tummy?"
"With a lot of hard work."
I heard my husband snicker at the table behind me where he was doing his daily Sudoku puzzle. The May Queen's face continued to peer expectantly at me over the back of the couch.
"Well," I began again, "babies are a lot smaller than you are when they are born, and they come out through their mommy's vagina."
A brief pause. Then the May Queen threw her head back and laughed. "That's silly!"
You think that's silly? Just wait until you ask how the baby gets IN to the mommy's tummy.
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42 comments:
May there be many years before that question comes.... I have 0 children and shiver at the thought.... (oh yeah, and I'm a nurse)
oh man. they want to know so much, huh?
I've been there. It was hard to navigate my 6-year-old questions, but I confessed that babies are made via s-e-x. She said, "But I've never seen you and Daddy have sex."
Aye, yi, yi!
Oh I got in over my head one day when I got asked that question and for some reason I felt compelled to tell her that I had a c-section to have her. It got very confusing.
One of my friend's kids asked that when she was 2 1/2 and her brother was born. When Lori answered her, her eyes went huge and she shook her head no...."They must come up and out the mommy's chin" she said...I thought it was horrifying before my babies were born too!
oh boy, I said those exact words to Declan about a year ago. Then 6 months ago he asked how babies got there. I pulled the "daddy plants a seed" card.
Oh yes my friend, that other question (about how they get IN there) is right around the corner . . .
And I think it's kinda silly, too!
I love that she found it silly.
You handled that just perfectly!! What a sweet girl that May Queen.
-HH
I like that May Queen. Silly is as silly does!
I love that she thinks it is silly. How cute. Better to think it is silly than scary.
And good for you for being so direct. I think if you are direct and use proper terminology it is less uncomfortable to talk about. But what do I know? I haven't had to have that talk yet.
I love your direct answer, too. And what a great response from the May Queen!
Silly, indeed! LOL!
Love her response!
I remember when the May Queen was born, and I think there are many other words besides silly you'd use to describe your labor and delivery.
(I don't think I'd use silly to describe my l&d either!)
Our answer, "Through a special tunnel," worked well for years.
Silly it is indeed but nontheless the truth. Biology can be quite odd can't it?
Oh - and here's a rose for your opening night...a little late.
She's so right. It IS silly. There must be a better way.
Delighted to hear that you only had to deal with the first question. Now that gives you the opportunity to practice for the follow on performance.
Cheers
This is my calling card or link"Whittereronautism"until blogger comments get themselves sorted out.
Whew! She was satisfied with that, eh? lucky mama!
We have started down that road but never had to finish the conversation... yet.
I'm not looking forward to it!
Yup, everyone is clear in the house about how they get out. Still no one has asked nor seems interested to know how they get in!
Silly indeed!
Oh yes, the "in" part has GOT to be the silliest yet... :)
I'm with the May Queen on this one - I used to say that I found the stork scenario much more believable, and even after going through 37.5 hours of labor for my own baby, I still think the stork explanation is more believable. To think that our bodies do THAT and that we can live to tell about it. Miracle of miracles.
catherine
Silly indeed!
I just had this little chat with my six year old. A baby story was on while I jogged on the treadmill and they wanted to know why the doctors were strapping that lady down?
I was wondering if everyone on A Baby Story has a c-section?
We had a c-section talk before vagina s came up. Good times!
(ps. fun blog. I'm new and I love the Christmas play pics lol)
well really you would think someone could have come up with a better design! Just sayin'....
going in is more fun.
OMS I am LOL...her reaction is classic (as is your note). Parenting...it's all the joy and then some. :)
Julie
Using My Words
The Boy thinks that the Little Guy drinks mild from his mommy's "tummy". Too funny to correct.
Excellent answer. I told my five yr old that they came out through the 'birth canal'. He's hasn't asked for further clarification as of yet!
Heidi :)
Oh- have fun with that one! Baby Dels was just born so we had ALOT of these conversations, now I am being asked why I still have a big tummy if the baby isn't in there anymore...C'mon give me a break! Geesh.
Oh! How funny!
I can just hear her! LOL.
Even though I explained the natural way, since I had two c-sections, I don't think I'm quite believed.
Classic and HEE-LAIR-EE-OUS!!
I dodge this one by saying, "Mommy goes to the doctor and the doctor cuts open Mommy's tummy to bring the baby out." Hey, it was true for me. *grin*
Way to think on your feet, Mom! I love that your answer was met with an announcement of its inherent silliness.
Aren't kids great?
How classic! Did you keep a straight face? Hey, at least now you have time to prepare for the REALLY big question--this was the prelude, your warm-up.
Nicely handled, by the way. I like the honest approach.
I love the way kids minds work. I had an interesting conversation with one of my kindergarten classes when they wanted to know what a womb was (from the "Hail Mary")and, when I tried to explain it to them, some of them corrected me based on what their parents had told them. Too funny:)
You know - it is silly. Until you actually get knocked up and then it's UNTHINKABLY RIDICULOUS that a baby could get out that way!
Haha!! That's so funny!!
Priceless!! I'm amazed though that she didn't continue the questioning and didn't want to know the REAL way after finding your first answer to be silly ...
You last line totally cracked me up.
I was fearing the day it happened---fearing! but then it happened, and it wasn't so bad. It went like this---"how do babies get into mommy's tummy?" Well, mommy gives and egg and daddy gives a sperm and the two come together in mommy's tummy and make a baby. And then the baby grows and grows." And that's it. They accepted it! I didn't have to take it any further!
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