Birds and Bees issues involve the inquisitiveness of kindergartens to know about human development. They may want to know the meaning of death and where dead people go. But particularly, curious kids want to know where mummies got their babies from. This is normal as children learn more during this period of their lives. Mom, why is your tummy big? Mommy, do you buy baby from the market? These and similar questions are not uncommon with kids. Depending on how the little one approaches you, there are different ways to handle the issue.
You could gather neighbors’ children together and tell them birds and bees’ stories. After such story sessions, you encourage them to ask questions and to your chagrin, you may find out that older ones already have answers to the questions from the younger ones. You use tact to answer tough questions and add some fun while at it. You must ensure the message is passed while you sustain their interest in subsequent birds and bees sessions. This helps interaction and grows love in the neighborhood. Later on, it will interest you to hear the kids discussing these things among themselves.
Answering their questions with other questions could be a way of getting yourself out of trouble. Where do babies come from mom? What do you think son? This is a psychological ways of handling birds and bees issues. In their attempt to answer your questions they could stumble on the answer or at least give you clues to answer their questions. Mom, my friend said daddy and mummy combine to make a baby, is it true? To which you answer, oh yes, your friend is right. But then the next question will definitely arise, how do they do it? You gently reply, how do you think they do it son? The cycle continues.
What are teachers for? They are to teach the kids and birds and bees questions are not outside their purview. It could be a good escape route to ask your daughter to ask her teacher when she confronts you with birds and bees issues. Do babies fall from heaven dad? No, they do not fall from heaven otherwise you would have seen some fell on the lawn. Ok, where are they from then? Girly, I would prefer you ask your teacher in the school tomorrow. That is his job; he has answers to all questions. That way you escape but only temporarily as she is bound to ask tougher questions later.
Believe it, pictures tell more stories than words. Buy child-friendly books for them to read. Or better still, you read together and explain to them. This way, they find answers to their questions themselves, which is the best anyway. There are books out there on animals’ reproduction. What is left for you to do is to add that humans reproduce is similar ways. Do you do it outside like the animals? No of course, you reply, humans are more decent, that is why we live in houses. He will figure the rest out on his own.
But by far the best way to handle birds and bees issue is to tell the truth as it is. However it has to be gradual and rendered in an interesting way. You may not want to call the genitals their real names. Uterus and Fallopian tube are obviously too complex words for a two-year old to comprehend. Telling it as it is, is the best because it is the truth and they will soon find out anyway. Why not tell it as it is? Mom, how does one make a baby? “The man put his thing in mom’s thing, a substance comes from daddy’s thing into mom’s belly and baby grows there to come out 9 or 10 months after”. Where does the baby come out from? From mommy’s wee-wee.
As the child grows, parents need to be more detailed about bird and bees stories. Telling them about sex, emotions, affection and how sex strengthens love plus the problems associated with early sex, HIV, unwanted pregnancy and other sex related social ills will save you a lot of troubles. You must try to have these talks anytime the opportunity presents itself. It is better to have several small talks than one Big talk because that is what one will have with an unwanted pregnancy.
Birds and bees issues are mostly about how babies are conceived and you can go round it in many ways. You may be interested in ensuring your next baby is a boy or a girl depending on your preferred family mix. There are natural methods here to determine the sex of your baby.