On our way home from church one Sunday, my five-year-old son asks, "Mommy do babies come from mommies and daddies or God?"
I quickly hid my disbelief and responded, "They come from their mommies and daddies and God."
"No Mom, I really want to know!", my son pled.
"For real. Mommies and daddies get married and then they love each other and then God takes one half of mom and one half of dad to make a perfect little baby like you and your sister."
Frustrated, my son took a deep breath, clapped his hands to his head, and sighed, "Mooooom! I want to know the nasty stuff."
I wish you could have seen my eyes as they popped out of my head. What on earth is this child talking about? How much does he know? Who told him!?! And, what did they say? He's in kindergarten, what are other parents teaching their kids?
My daughter started to laugh. She said, "You are too young to know the nasty stuff Nate. Just be happy with mom's answer for now. You will learn when you get older."
O.K. I started to breath again and realized my daughter might have something to do with this inquisition, that little stinker.
"Nate, there isn't any 'nasty stuff'. My answer is the truth, but I am not giving you details right now. I'll tell you more when you get older."
"When?"
"Ariana, how old were you when we talked?"
"Eight", Ariana said matter-of-factly.
"When you are eight", I told Nate.
"That's too oooollllddd - ah." Everything ends in an 'ah' when he's stressing his point.
"Fine, when your seven", I responded.
"When I'm six."
"Six and a half."
"O.K.", he said. And with that the matter was settled.
Then he said, "I'm five and a half right now." In fact he was five and two months. I he doesn't try to renegotiate his birds-and-the-bees talk on his sixth birthday. I am just recovering from my mild heart attack this little conversation caused.
I guess well cross that hurdle later. But for now, I'm trying to figure out what was the 'nasty stuff' I told my daughter.
Life is never dull with these kids.
