When I was seven, Mom and Dad sat my brother and I down with Where Did I Come From? and told us exactly how babies were made, that our bodies were wonderful, and that when we were married adults, we, too, would be able to make babies if we wanted to (yes, we were made to understand that pregnancy was possible without the benefit if marriage while also strongly encouraged to view baby-making only within the context of marriage; we were seven and five, and that was reasonable—that said, mostly, my brother just laughed, but the "babies" lesson was repeated and expanded upon appropriately as we grew older).
My parents did this because one of my friends was running around telling everyone that the Stork, an actual entity endorsed by God, brought her to her parents. That story alarmed my parents, who did everything they could to disabuse us of its truth (a tad too well, in my case, as I proceeded to read my new book to all my friends, something that didn't sit well with Stork Girl's parents. :P).
In any case, this sort of storkian BS continues; not only is there some new movie about storks and babies, but this morning at the coffee house, I overheard a mother telling her daughter, who looked about nine- or ten-years-old, "Well, we won't know if the baby's a boy or a girl until the Stork brings it. The blanket's color will be our clue."
*sighs*
My parents did this because one of my friends was running around telling everyone that the Stork, an actual entity endorsed by God, brought her to her parents. That story alarmed my parents, who did everything they could to disabuse us of its truth (a tad too well, in my case, as I proceeded to read my new book to all my friends, something that didn't sit well with Stork Girl's parents. :P).
In any case, this sort of storkian BS continues; not only is there some new movie about storks and babies, but this morning at the coffee house, I overheard a mother telling her daughter, who looked about nine- or ten-years-old, "Well, we won't know if the baby's a boy or a girl until the Stork brings it. The blanket's color will be our clue."
*sighs*
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iulia_linnea- Iulia Linnea
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I'm totally game with putting reasonable limits on when this activity happens when you're talking to kids: "they're married and making a baby" or "they're a family and they want to add to their family" seem logical to me.
I just think that a good deal of child abuse can happen when parents don't teach their children that private parts exist, that they're meant to be private, and that nobody is allowed to touch them there. Moreover, parents should teach kids that they should tell them if anyone tries to touch them.
STORKS. To a 9-year-old?!
Edited at 2016-09-10 01:20 pm (UTC)
I just think that a good deal of child abuse can happen when parents don't teach their children that private parts exist, that they're meant to be private, and that nobody is allowed to touch them there. Moreover, parents should teach kids that they should tell them if anyone tries to touch them.
Agreed.
Storks. To a nine-year-old. It boggles.
I told both of my girls when where they come from when they asked at 4 or 5. I wanted them to understand that. To know how babies are made, how miserable I was when I was pregnant (eldest saw it, youngest knows it is not natural to lose 30 lbs DURING pregnancy.)
It is not an easy talk to have and put into words for a young mind to understand, but I was raised them with the thought that if a child is old enough to ask, they are old enough to be told the truth. Maybe not the FULL disclosure, but enough to make things understood.
I will admit that there have been times where I wished I really was plucked up from a cabbage patch. Well, everyone dislikes something about their family.
Excellent.
Agreed.
Oh, dear. *hugs*
It was the best day ever. :D
I had seen pregnant women, so I knew that babies were in tummies, you know?
If N asks, I tell him, well enough to be understood. And he knows the words penis and vagina.
I worked it out visually, as well, at least, to some degree. :)
Yay!
Okay, no joking here - I wish people could be more honest about how our bodies work, sex, menopause and health issues in general. I wouldn't have spent so much of my 20's muttering, "WTF".
Me, too. It's ridiculous to keep ourselves in ignorance.