9 year old son asking questions about where babies come from 😕

[user1483644886]

My 9 year old son has started asking questions about how babies are born and how they are made. The problem I have is, I'm not sure how much detail I should go into !! He's never asked anything about this stuff before so it's come as a bit of a shock !! I've bought the Usbourne book 'what is happening to me?' but after reading it I found it rather too descriptive !! Any advise would be most appreciated.

Smile, not snike obviously

Unfortunate autocorrect there Patricia

Although, "sheep and fucks and chickens" is a far better typo

Got away with this as we have plenty of animals my now 10 yr old DD has seen the whole cycle whilst we bred horses, dogs, sheep and fucks and chickens

Fucks?

Now that really is very explicit

Hahahaha that should have said 'ducks'

Just tell him in a child friendly way

Usborn book too descriptive

Just answer what he asks and no more - later he will ask other questions and you must answer those.

Where do babies come from? - "They grow inside the mother in her womb, which is inside her abdomen."

His next question - may be months later is likely to be how does it get out? - "It comes out through the mother's vagina which is an opening between her legs that women have but men do not."

And a bit later it might be - How does the baby get in there? - "It grows from a very tiny seed inside the mother."

Do you see what I am getting at OP? - you are answering the question that he is asking, not the raft of other questions that are stacking up in your mind.

Our children had a lovely Scandinavian book called "Our New Baby" - it was a cartoon story and all the detailed facts of reproduction were there presented pictorially and also in the context of a loving family. It even covered adoption. It was about relationships within families and the children loved this book - they loved asking my mother to read it to them - it was not her favourite book!

I feel for you because this sort of thing didn't come naturally to me, but 9 is pretty much the upper limit for not knowing about sex. The schools make certain of this.

at typo.

Remember when they're older they just get more embarrassed. I've always been v.open with mine, but now he's 12 and the very mention of anything makes him run. I'm so glad that I told him it all when he was tiny. Honestly just tell them young, and they're just naturally interested and curious. It's not a big deal.

By the way, this book was just lying round the house and we read it to whichever child asked to read it however young they might be - so they grew up with the facts from the start. Our children were much in demand at school as sources of information on the subject!

My 6 yr old has read that book, thanks to her brother. She wasn't shocked.
I would draw the line at breeding fucks though.

Exactly !! My ds has never asked anything like this before. Is it so wrong that my 9 year old, yes 9, is still innocent. Why would he need to know this at 9 or younger if he wasn't curious before this !
Thank you for not making me feel like a completly inept mother !!

And this is exactly why it's so important that sex education is done at school so kids have a chance of learning the facts.

There is no way that the Usbourne book will be too explicit.

Tbh I was reading an Usbourne book with DS when he was 5 or 6 although he knew where babies came from long before that.

Seriously OP,get on with it or kids at school will fill him in and it'll be far more explicit than the Usbourne book!

Knowledge does not equal lack of innocence.

It's basic biology, nothing to do with innocence

Ignorance isn't innocence.

My approach has been to demystify and explain as if I was answering 'mummy how does food turn into poo' or how does the blood circulate etc. Not easy subject for everyone but if you make it matter of fact and no fuss then they will also I think make no fuss.
I have that book and although v open with our DC about these things for years I gave the book to eldest only recently at 10. I thinks it's a v good book.

I've always been open and honest with DD about this. She asked when she was five and I didn't want to make a big thing of it. I would just read the book with him or he'll find out from one of the kids at school and it won't be told so sensibly.

My DD asked these questions fro 4yo, because I was pregnant and she was bright enough to wonder how the baby got in my tummy and how it was going to get out again.

Most small children spend a lot of time in social settings where there are pregnant women and tiny babies who are the siblings of their playmates.

It is a great time to start explaining facts in a simple and age appropriate way. By the time they get to 12yo, 70% of boys will have watched adult content online...and all of a sudden the conversations are ones about where babies come from and you are fire-fighting playground misinformation.

aren't - sorry

Do your children never watch nature documentaries? Nearly all my conversations with my DSs about sex, babies etc is as a direct result of one of these programmes. I've always been open and honest, no hang ups and very matter of a fact. DH is useless as he does have hang ups although he is getting better as the DSs get older.

And the children at school will provide misinformation.

Ignorance = vulnerable not innocent. Big difference.

Movingonup, you really are holier than thou aren't you ??
Just because you have chosen to parent your child/children in a certain way, does not make it the 'only' way. I'm happy that my child is innocent (not ignorant) Why should I taint my gorgeous, clever, funny handsome boy with information he has had no interest in up until recently. Get over yourself !!