the birds and the bees

[trixipaws]

when did u learn about them? and when do u think is appropriate to teach ur children?
i was 9 when my mum told me. before that she told me babies were made by "kissing in a special way"!
i dont see the point in lying to millie tho. when she asks i think ill just tell her, no matter how old she is. i doubt she'd ask until she's at least 5 tho?

 

[kimmumof2]

i was told when i was 9 also, altho i think i had guessed by then. its a good job she did explain everything tho including AF etc becus a few months later i had my first period and i think i would have been terrified had she not told me my dd1 has recently asked and she is nearly 5 but i think that was becus i was pregnant and she was wonderin how, i just told her that to make babies mummies n daddies have to make a wish and have a special cuddle and maybe their wish will come true. i think each parent knows when there child is ready be cus some kids are just more mature than others and can accept and understand what your telling them whereas some at the same age cant understand. i think i will tell mine when they are about 9/10.

xxxx

 

[trixipaws]

you got ur period when u were 9? poor you!
i was 13 hehe

 

[Craig]

i honestly have no idea when i properly learned of it all, but i was somewhat of a.. early bloomer lol bit embarassing, but at just 5 i was trying to hump my sisters mate (literally! lol), knew all about it by then, and coincidently the same mate was my first gf lol that included proper french kissing at 5/6 no wonder im the way i am now

 

[Redshoes]

I hear in Sweden, LO's are taught their biology and how things 'work' from being pre-school age, have sex ed at 10yrs, and are openly encouraged to use correct terminology for body parts.. they say they teach sex education as a pleasure not a risk and they have the lowest teen pregnancies and STD rates, I find it inspiring so thought I'd mention it, bit off topic, sorry, but there must be something in it?
I think the right age is when they start to ask, I would like to think I'd be factual and open about the birds and bees with my children when they ask

 

[libs]

in stages bit by bit, suitable for the age they're at

special kisses and hugs just to explain the appearance of a LO

then a bit of anatomy and a bit of straightforward explaination

then (and oh how I loved this day ) the whole hog of sex outside/inside serious relationships, STDs, contraception and obviously the threat of if you ever turn up to tell em you've got some poor teenage girl pregnant don't think you're walking away----YOU WILL PAY FOR IT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE I WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT

I think I'm pretty safe till he's about 30

 

[Kelly G]

I haven't voted as i really dont know! I would be interested in peoples replys tho!

Brooke will be 8 new years day, she knows about periods as DH told her about them (i couldn't find the right words)

She does know about sex, she knows that you have to have sex to make a baby! When she was little we told her that mummy and daddy had a special cuddle to make a baby, but she was giggling one day at something on the tele (i think it was 2 people in bed) and she said they are havig sex I was like how do you know and she kept saying i just know, so to this day DH and i dont know where she heard so we decided to tell her. But we told her only mummys and daddys that really love each other should do it when they are old enough!

I would like to sit her down in the near future and find out jut how much she knows and talk it through properly with her so any advice on how to do this would be helpful

 

[Sammystar]

when I was pregnant last year, my then three and two year olds were curious about the baby in my tummy. When they asked how it got there we just said 'daddy put it there' and they totally accepted that. They're still way too young to understand the mechanics.

I'm sure it won't be long until they ask though, and when they do I'll be as honest as I can without confusing them........

 

[Squiglet]

My mum was a nurse so I got a very clinical explanation of how babies were made and what happens in a womans body from about the age of 5... as did Tia... but the whole "sex" thing wasn't mentioned... I found out for myself by reading.. and reading a lot of the medical books my mum had on the many diseases you can get through sex, and scared myself out of sex until I got to 17.

However, when I got pregnant this time...: Tia kept telling people, I'd taken drugs and gotten pregnant.. It took me a long time to figure out that she'd seen that episode of the Simpsons where everyone gives Apu's wife fertility drugs to get pregnant with her 8 babies...

So to stop her insinuating to everyone we met that I was actually a secret drug addict, I had to tell her exactly what happens...

After explaining about how a man puts his willy inside a ladies fanny and the sperm (tadpoles) come out the end etc... She looked at me for about 5 min then said... "OMG you let Dad do THAT to YOU???"... And she hasn't mentioned it since...

If we talk about the baby at all, and I mention about how the baby got in there she say quickly.. "I don't want to talk about it!" and changes the subject... I think I might have given her a bad mental image....

 

[Urchin]

I've not really explained that much to Mason yet, he hasn't really asked.
With Brody when he asked and I just said Mummy and Daddy put it there with magic.
I think this is kinda true as it is a bit magic really isn't it.
When he asked how the baby comes out I said the doctor takes it out.

See... all true! I'd never outright lie.

He's 6 now, if he asks again I mitgh have to have a little chat with him LOL

 

[kellie80]

Well Jess is 7 and I'm ashamed to say I haven't told her anything yet. She just thinks babies just grow in your belly when your an adult and you want one. I've told her I take special medicine to stop me having any more babies. I told her last year that they don't come out of your belly and she was a bit shocked by that one. I really should get round to telling her the basics cos she has started asking some questions now. She asked me what a virgin was the other day after singing away in a manger in school and I just said I don't know

 

[mummykay]

i honestly have no idea when i properly learned of it all, but i was somewhat of a.. early bloomer lol bit embarassing, but at just 5 i was trying to hump my sisters mate (literally! lol), knew all about it by then, and coincidently the same mate was my first gf lol that included proper french kissing at 5/6 no wonder im the way i am now

u are filth young man!!!!

if Jam wants to no what sex etc is then it will include the saying 'if u use it before ur married it will fall off' - am hopin he wont ask for a gd few years yet tho!!

 

[mummykay]

After explaining about how a man puts his willy inside a ladies fanny and the sperm (tadpoles) come out the end etc... She looked at me for about 5 min then said... "OMG you let Dad do THAT to YOU???"... And she hasn't mentioned it since...

 

[lisa&alex]

charlotte out right asked me when we were driving a few months back.. so i agree they ask when mummys are pregnant.. she said mummy.. how did the baby get in your tummy?

so i said mummys have tiny tiny little eggs inside their tummys, and daddys have tiny tiny little tadpoles, when the mammy and daddy are ready to have a new baby the daddy has to give the mummy his tadpoles (with the aid of some pictures of egg and sperm from pc,)

then i showed her the size that the baby was at week 1,2,3,4 etc etc so she could see how it grew and it wasnt a real baby untill it was after 8 weeks 'grown'

alex said i go into to much detail with her.. lol. and give her to much info.. but i also didnt want to lie to her.. im just glad she didnt say how did daddy put his tadpoles there lol..shes a bit young to know that yet..she knows how and where babys come out and seemed satisfied with the answer i gave her.

 

[rach]

my mum never explained anything to me and when i got my first period at the age of 11 i remember sitting on the toilet thinking oh my god im bleeding it must mean im going to die i sat there crying for over 2 hours till my mum came in from work and told me to put a san towel on and basically told me to get used to it as it would be happening once a month for about 30/40 years i soon learned more about it at school and off friends other than that my parents never told me anything
with luke i sat down and explained quite a bit to him when he was about 11 after walking in on him in his bedroom masterbating and was surprised to find out he knew most of it already so we had a long talk about being responsible being sure about when hes ready and lots of talking about condoms and the importance of using them and about std's
he took in everything very well and very grown up after the initial embarrassment of talking to mum about it all and asked lots of questions which i answered honestly
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Lou]

I had sex education in my last year at primary school so I must have been 8 or 9. I started my period when I was 10 so it was handy for me to have already been taught about the biological side of reproduction I suppose. I was lucky because my BF started her period a week before me so she told me everything I still remember that first day though and trying to use a tampon, felt like I'd sat on a rocket

As for sex and boys I had my first snog at my 10th birthday party and I just picked everything else up as I went along My mum and dad never taught me anything, I learnt it all from school, friends, sisters, cousins, and boys

 

[Tangerinedream]

I remember being about 6 years old and playing out but it started raining so I went home but the front door was locked. I went round the back and walked in to find my mum and step-dad on the settee 'doing it' They chucked me back out (in the rain ) and locked me out so I went round to the neighbours house to ask if I could come in because 'My mum and dad are HAVING SEX!!!' I remember back then somehow knowing that thats how you make a baby but have no idea what my mum told me or when.

I havnt got a clue what to tell Jake if he asks. Maybe if he asks when he is nearer to 10 I will tell the truth but if he is younger it might be the magic special hugs etc...

 

[kimmumof2]

you got ur period when u were 9? poor you!
i was 13 hehe

i know i was dead jealous of my sister cus she didnt start hers until she was 14 which is 6 yrs after me which i thought was unfair. it was horrible cus some of the girls in my school class didnt even know about periods which meant it was awkward for me and also my primary school didnt have a bin for sanitary towels either so i hated it when AF came and i was at school.

xxxx

 

[HappyAlice]

My children are 4 and 7 and know some things. They have seen many births on Discovery Health, and also have the 'Look who's talking' DVDs which has swimming sperms and eggs on it. My 4 year old doesn't know about sex though, but my 7 yr old knows seeds come out of a man and go to a woman's egg in her tummy.

 

[zebrastripes]

I shall just tell Willow when she asks. The detail of the description will vary according to her age, but I see no point in confusing her with stories about storks etc,plus we are surrounded by cows sheep horses and other animals so she'll probably work it out herself. I don't see the point in not telling kids if they ask,obviously you don't have to give all the gory details,but it is a natural human act,and I don't want her to think of it as something she shouldn't talk about or be ashamed of. I mean, I had next to no sex ed, even in school, it wasn't somethign I felt comfortable discussing with my mother (due to her upbringing etc it wasn't something she would talk about) and look what happened to me