Julia @ 22 months
New Year’s Eve Julia asked a very good question, “How was I made?” This question was in the car while we were driving back from the girls Grandma and Granddad as they live in Coffs Harbour. What do you say to a kid while in the car? So I started explaining that there was an egg and then it gets met with sperm and the cells change and change to create a person. Then after 9 months a baby is born. I did not know what to say and thought the best answer was the truth but simplified.
You might think that this was the only difficult question, well you would be wrong. The next question posed by Julia was, “How was my skin made?” Well, o.k. I then explained that all the cells that make you you can form different things like eyes, hair, legs and so on. Some of the cells form your skin. Not sure if she thought this answer was adequate enough but we heard no more about it.
We do have an amazing BBC documentary about how we are created at birth and it is filmed from inside the body, it shows how the baby changes and the development. Hubby and I thought about showing part of this to her but not sure if she would be scared and think it was a bit freaky.
Have you had the “How was I made question?” What was your response? Did your child accept your answer or think it was make believe. Have you added to the answer by watching a video on the subject? Did this help or hinder? I would be interested to know.
Send in your comments and why not continue the discussion on our twitter or facebook pages.
Note: I did think at 4 it was not a question that we would be asked. Maybe this is normal to be thinking of these things, trying to make sense out of the world and understand. However thought this question would come later not at 4 years of age. It could be sign of clever thinking, I am not sure.
1 Response
Mama Carmody
January 13, 2013My oldest daughter asked a similar question at 4 years old..also in the car. I was pregnant with our second child. Heather asked me, “How did the baby get in your tummy?” Her father and I stared at each other a minute and the brave father said to me, “I’ll let you handle this one.” As my mind raced and I threw up a quick prayer on what to say, she came up with her own answer. It was near Christmas and she had heard the story of Jesus and the Virgin birth. She asked if God put the baby in my stomach. I thought quickly because I didn’t want to lie or make her think I was like Mary but we do believe that God is the creator of life; so I answered, “Yes, with Daddy’s help.” That was all she needed…thankfully.
As for the question, is she too young for a documentary of a baby growing inside? If she is that interested I would say try it. Just watch her reactions and talk to her about what she is seeing. I can tell you from my personal experiences that some children are ready to handle (what we think) are difficult or deep subjects at a very young age. I sat and watched all of the news coverage on John F. Kennedy’s assignation and funeral and I had just turned 3 years old. I was totally engrossed with the whole thing and was not scared by anything I saw. You know your child best. I say, give it a shot.