Ladies and gentleman, we have a winner. |
| I think that's funny and you can always tell your kid the stork brought them to you if it bothers you so much. |
Same. I teach 5th grade. Sex Ed starts in 4th grade in our system, but it's pretty basic and geared towards the changing that will be happening. They touch upon all important topics but don't go really in-depth; that part happens during the 5th grade unit. Here's what happens each year after the unit is over and the kids whose parents didn't want them to participate rejoin the others: "what did you guys do?" "what was said?" "did you see pictures of boobs?" "did they show pictures of naked boys?" "did you learn was a _____ is?" "my brother/sister said..." and I spend the next week trying to get them to refocus and stop talking about it, especially to the kids who were opted out. Kids that age are super curious and full of half information and misinformation. What's worse than having to wrangle them and get them refocused is having to listen to the severely uneducated say things like, "no way it happens like that! My mom said the belly button expands and that's how the baby gets out. She's even got the scar and everything from when I was born!" If your child is 10/11/12 in the 5th grade and still believes that babies come out of expanding belly buttons, YOU HAVE FAILED as a parent. And it takes every ounce of professionalism not to correct or educate that poor kid! You think it doesn't happen, but it does. Each year I have at least one who doesn't know how babies are made and I have one girl who starts her period and has no idea WTF is happening to her. |
Totally NP but you people are crazy...as soon as my kids asked about where babies come from I told them - first it was just sperm from the man and egg from a woman becomes an embryo - when they asked more questions - more details. And yes...saying the words "...the man puts his p___ inside the woman's v___ ..." does feel a little strange but the more matter of fact you are about it the better. And it only gets harder to talk about. How are you going to talk to them when they are teenagers and having sex if you can't talk to them about it as kid??? When do you plan to start talking about drugs to them? Same thing with cancer or any medical issue - tell the truth - start simple and build on. And why not understand a checking account, budget and futures. All of my kids know how to hedge and protect against currency fluctuations Ok maybe not - but they do know the principle.
|
You’re overthinking this. This is a typically adult problem. 4 year olds understand these things perfectly. To them, mommy is having a baby. Daddy put the baby there. Grandma is sick, and takes medicine that makes her sick sometimes. Grandpa died last year, because his heart was sick and the doctor couldn’t help. Opa is okay, but has a disease called diabetes and needs to give himself a needle everyday that helps him. He can’t eat too much sugar. As long as he gets his shot, he is healthy and strong. He needed a shot when we were at the park the other day, but that’s okay. Stop complicated your child with your adult ideas of illness, death, and sex. None of them are that complicated. Seems to me you’ve never actually HEARD a child. |
Sorry, repeat poster, but I want to say most ADULTS do not understand the complexity of creating human beings. Read the TTC forums and u deranged that most women don’t understand their own cycles, and when fertility is /isn’t. Look at the number of bankruptcies in the world, and see that most adults don’t understand basic budgets. You don’t have to frame it with YOUR problems, but yes, you should have them understand that they need more money in that is going out. And yes, if your marriage is about to dissolve, there is no reason not to give a basic reason. I don’t think drug use and such are the fault of reality. I think part of it is exactly the opposite: parents shielding kids from real life, and then when they get there, they don’t know how to deal with it. |
| I’m currently pregnant and my almost 4 year old has been asking how the baby got into my belly. My husband told her that babies, including herself, come from eggs. Of course, she is now imagining that she came from an egg in one of the cartons from the store.... |
I am the PP you quoted, and I would include all the things you included on your list. But there are, of course many other things to know about how babies are made. For example, my 4 year old knew that a doctor helped Aunt JoAnne become pregnant, but he did not know the difference between IUI and IVF. He knew that sex was something that both partners needed to say yes to, but there are lots of details about rape that he didn’t know. Similarly, if my 4 year old could understand everything about finance then we wouldn’t have PHD programs. |
first i ever heard of it too. my parents are so right, we are def doing too much.
|
Oh, for goodness sake! My 6 year old has known all about basic biology since forever AND knows all about my cancer (diagnosed when he was 4 and explained it to him at the time). He knows that when we make our annual trip, the first part is to see my oncologist and the second part is vacation. In fact, now that I think of it, we first explained cancer when the cat died. He was 3. He knows that when he has questions, about pretty much anything, we will answer them as honestly and completely as we can. Oh, and he knows all about his bank account that his piggy bank money goes into when he goes to the bank with us to make a deposit. I know that some people might think that our approach is weird but, honestly, I think that raising children on a foundation of deception, even by omission, is pretty weird too. |
| Oh wow! I am so appreciative for this heads up - thank you! My youngest is 7 and in no way would I be prepared to have this conversation with him after the movie when he’d be with siblings and friends. I find it totally obnoxious they would put a joke like that in there at the end. |
| OP, they teach sex ed in 5th grade at school. That means 9/10/11 year olds already know about the birds and bees. |
|
NP. What 9 year old is in 5th grade? I think that it is clear from this thread that opinions re: the best time to have this discussion is very personal so I find it frustrating that they would have that line in a movie thereby forcing the conversation when kids might not be ready for it.
|
| Sorry but my 7 year old is not ready for this conversation and nor are her friends. People who tell their kids so early are the reason why there is such sexualization of children at the tween level |
The literal opposite of this is true. |