I picked up a text at work the other day which made me laugh out loud. I explained to my curious colleague that apparently my four year old son had just informed his teacher that he and his sisters came out of my vagina.
“Oh my God!” She exclaimed. “Who on earth told him that?”
I was slightly taken aback. That wasn’t really the issue. “Well… er… I did.”
A couple of weeks ago J asked how babies came out. What was I supposed to say? It would never occur to me to tell my children anything but the truth when they ask (except in relation to Father Christmas, where blatant lies are de rigueur) so of course I explained the process.
“But wouldn’t vaginas have to be very big for that to happen?”
“They stretch.”
“So is yours very big now?”
“It doesn’t stay stretched. It sort of shrinks back.” At least I hope it does.
If you asked me to choose the ideal age to receive detailed information about where babies come from, I couldn’t tell you. I wouldn’t exactly choose to tell a four year old, totally unprompted, about expanding birth canals, but when I’m asked a direct question I feel it’s only fair to tell the truth. In consequence my children are somewhat worldly-wise about birth, death and the bits in between.
Surely there are only three options in these circumstances?
1) tell the truth
2) lie
3) refuse to answer
Which one do you go for?