Called in by Teacher. Aibu?

[dollywashers]

My eldest dd is 8. Her teacher called me aside today to 'have a word'. Apparently a few of the children were talking at wet play time about how babies were made (my dd did not bring topic up). There were various theories. My daughter said they were made from seeds from a man joining with an egg from a woman to grow a baby. Perfectly reasonable I thought. She doesn't actually know about the sex bit yet as hasn't asked. I suspect she thinks the woman eats the eggs :0! But I would be quite happy to tell her at 8 if she asked, age appropriately of course.

Anyway the teacher called me aside and was acting shocked that my daughter had said this. She stood waiting from a reaction from me. I said that I thought at 8 this was a perfectly normal thing for dd to say. She thought not and asked me to tell my dd bit to mention it again as other parents might not like it!! I was a bit too shocked to say anything at the time but thinking about it now it's made me really cross. It's hardly like she was giving the class a sex lesson for goodness sake. AIBU?

My MIL had an attack of the vapours when she found out that my 2 year old knew he had grown from an egg .

OP, you can not let this go. Stupid teacher.

My sister was burn even I was six and I provided a very frank education to my classmates on how daddies put their penis in mummy's vagina and leave seed that joins with mummy's egg and makes a baby then when it's all grown mummy has to push it out if her vagina again, and it hurts a bit. Mum got called for 'a word', and found it hilarious.

Welsh This teacher would have passed out I think daft cow

YADNBU. I would be really cross about this.

former friend is deputy head in a primary school. they do full sex ed at 7, including where babies come from, how they get there, etc.
working on the principle that forewarned is fore-armed.

YANBU, a copy of "where willy went" as a christmas present

Teacher is odd.

That's catholic school for you!

Dd1 also 8 knows exactly how babies are made (in maybe more detail than I'd have liked!) she thinks sex is disgusting and she's never doing 'THAT'. Good for her!

I'm a teacher and she is BU. I taught a class of 7 year olds in a country school. Most of them, coming from farms with animals could tell her a lot more. It's not like your dd was giving a demonstration!

Can I ask, what age people think "Mummy laid an egg" is suitable for?

I bought it a while back as I thought it was great - and worth it so far, if only for the look of horror on my Catholic friend's face when she read it! She called it the kama sutra for children!

DS is quite young now, but I am up duffed. He knows babies come from mummy's tummies but we've not gone into how they got there yet. We tell a story along the lines of "once upon a time you were so small that no one could see you and you lived in mummy's tummy. Then you grew, and grew, and grew, until one day you went POP! And out you came into the world, and you were a little baby" (DP says I am taking artistic license with pop, as it wasn't exactly the quickest labour last time - but one can hope!).

Are you sure this was a teacher and not a random member of the public? as it is part of key stage 1 to do differences between girls and boys I have 2 lovely pictures with my boys scrawly writing which say boys and girls have, nose, mouth, eyes and teeth, boys have a penis girls have a vagina.

Ignore teacher and don't say anything to your child.

Very odd Teacher. YANBU at all.

RC school says it all really.

This thread should act as a timely reminder for all parents of 8yos to start talking to their DCs about sex (age appropriately of course) unless they want them to come home repeating what dollywasher's expectionally well-informed DD has told them in the playground.

No, what is far worse is the 6-7-8+yos who think you can get a girl pregnant by licking her. Or pinching her bottom. Or waving a willy at her. And far stranger ideas, which is exactly what children tell each other when no adult is mature enough to explain. Then you end up with the kids who don't know any of the truth & those who do, and they argue over who has it right whilst other children are terribly embarrassed -- not by the truth of how babies are made but because they know they haven't a clue and they can't decide which theory (licking, waving, pinching) is most likely. And they're mortified about looking the fool because they don't know. Then you get the girls who panic because a boy managed to lick their hand.

Don't do it to your child, don't have them so misinformed. It's unkind and it encourages them to believe even worse rubbish playground rumours about human sexuality as they get older if they think there's no adult they can ask.

I'd be talking to the head about this. I have just spoken to my DDs school teacher re her being told that sex is a naughty word.

DC's were 3&4 when I got pregnant with youngest and I bought them mummy laid an egg. I'd be more concerned if an 8 year old had no idea.

Now, at 6&7 they know all about where babies come from and in fact aged 5 when DC 4 came along my eldest drew her own version of mummy laid an egg - resplendent with extra long windy penis to take into school

chickenfillet the fact you were horrified is exactly why children should be told early on what sex/reproduction is all about.

All my DCs have always known about periods. They've seen me buy the tampons and towels which are in the bathroom. They've seen towels in my knickers when I've been in the bathroom (I know this horrifies some ) and I've always answered their questions as to what they are and what they are for.

My DC's don't have a concept of "finding out about sex" they've always just known. I'm sure that is a much healthier approach

OP you are def NBU!!!

Mad teacher. Check the school policy and have a word.

Let us know!!!

For all those saying "that's Catholic school for you" have you been into a Catholic school recently, and discovered what their attitude as a Catholic school is to such things?

I'm genuinely curious to know if there are Catholic schools out there who don't cover how babies are made in PSHE.

My DS was 6 when our cats were neutered. On the way to school one morning he wanted to know why the male cat had to have an operation as he wouldn't have a baby like his sister. We had a basic conversation on the male part of baby making and I made a diversion to warn the teacher in case he brought it up at carpet time!

I wonder if my 7yo told her teacher about how our dog was castrated. she asked, I told, she was fine with it, not quite sure how her teacher would have taken it, wasn't called in though.

Just to echo everyone else, YANBU, not in the slightest. The teacher is BU.

I think for an 8-year old, that is a perfectly suitable level of knowledge, and far more productive then a child of that age thinking storks bring babies!!

Thats actually quite worrying.

If the teacher reacts like that to age appropriate knowledge, how would she react to non age appropriate knowledge, which is a red flag for sexual abuse? Would she even spot the difference given that she thinks that egg-and-seed-made-a-baby is totally wrong?

Its part of her job to spot what is ok and what isnt, and for that reason alone I would be taking it further.

I agree that YANBU the teacher is though.
My dd1 knew how babies were born at the age of 5. She is almost 16 and knowledge has never been a handicap to her, she has turned out very well indeed and isn't even that interested in boys (apart from unobtainable pop stars!).
I have also been honest with her about the high levels of pain I experienced in childbirth and again I think I have definately made the right choice by being honest.
This teacher sounds very odd indeed, my dcs primary school start sex education in year 2.