Answering The ‘Where do Babies Come from’ Question
Responsibly answering questions about the origin of babies is extremely important in your role as a caregiver or a parent. Being prepared from the time your little one begins understanding interactions with the world around is extremely imperative, since you can never be sure when the question will pop.
By the time your little one is six-seven years old, you can rest assured that thoughts of babies, love, and kissing would have started revolving in his little head. So, be prepared to answer some tough questions in the days and months to come.
Wait Until Asked
Not all children are inquisitive about babies and sex by the age of six and seven. At this age, you are still her role model, and any questions or doubts in her mind will be directed to you for clarification. So, until asked – relax. She probably hasn’t thought of it yet, or it hasn’t raised a question in her mind. And this probably means she isn’t ready for this discussion yet.
Understand The Question Well
Do not make the mistake that most of us make – that is to pre-empt the question. Let your child clearly explain what she wants to know or the question in her mind. Ask questions, that you feel will allow her to explain clearly, as she may not know the right way to explain a thought as new as this.
If we jump into an explanation regardless of the question, chances are we might explain something very different from what she had in mind.
Tell in a Story Format
There are several formats you may use to explain this topic to your child – a story-telling format being one of them. You may divide your story into three parts – the beginning, the middle and the end. It can begin with mommy and daddy falling in love and creating the child. This may be followed by how the baby grew inside mummy’s tummy and then finally, her arriving in the world as a baby. This makes the process a lot more real and acceptable for the child rather than just a biological process.
Use Scientific Names for Body Parts
When explaining the concept of babies being born, at the appropriate age, explain the process to your little one, by using the correct names of body parts to the child. This makes them look at it objectively. Using terms such as wee-wee or pee-pee for private parts can confuse them when some smart child in school takes it on themselves to explain matters to the kids around.
Be Matter-of-fact
Ensure that you do not appear embarrassed or uncomfortable when discussing the topic with your child. Children being intuitive by nature; will pick up the feelings from you. This will clamp them up from coming back to you in future. Also, it creates all kinds of notions in their mind about the topic – some that are not necessarily correct. If you need time to come to terms with the question and answer it appropriately, let the child know that you will come back to him. Do not forget to discuss it with him at the soonest thereafter.
Why not see how our Mommy Blogger Gauri Venkitaraman answered the “where do babies come from” questions? You can surely pick up a few tips from her honest account!
Children are inquisitive by nature, and a very generic instance can trigger a very random question. The best you can do is to be prepared at all times and run with all the scenarios – beginning with the worst case. All the best!
