Body Questions - The Talk Before The Talk

"Mommy,....I have a ball stuck down here." - Our little man

   I've seen a few versions of "the sex talk" floating around as blog posts. I know one day I'll get there. My 7YO daughter hasn't hit me up with that just yet. I'm here today to talk about the pre-sex talk. The one where you get very basic questions about the very basics of our bodies. The above quote came from our 3YO 'Lil Man one evening. He was genuinely concerned that he had a ball of some sort stuck down there. When he learned that he actually possessed TWO of them, he went right to work trying to find the second. 

   In a society that is becoming more brazen about sex, I know my time will come to instill values that our children will take out into the world. Realizing that I have a daunting task ahead of me, I'm more than happy to discuss the basics of "pee-pees and who-whos". It's much more simple than what's in my future. I don't envy the task of parents these days, and I'm going to be one of them.

   For now, our discussion came in two parts. It started with mommy, and the now famed "I have TWO balls down there?" When he came to me with his new found manhood, I explained that those were his daddy parts, and that one day when he's big like me, he would be able to make his own babies. Thank GOODNESS it ended there and he was off to wage war with his stuffed animals. We didn't resort to the stork tale, but are trying to weigh how much is too much for each age group. For our 3YO, he's just realizing that he's got the parts. Letting him know that he didn't swallow a couple of marbles is our beginning. The rest will grow from there. I'm sure there are other ways to go about explanation. I'm just not worried about looking them up. We have a pretty open forum in The Cheeky House, and our children seem okay to ask us anything. Keep that dialogue open and we'll all get there in the end.

   As of the end of this day, my 7YO 'Lil Miss said that the boy she likes in her class was TOLD that fact by her friend. After admitting some embarrassment, she told me that the boy likes her back. Uuuhhhhhhh.......so the stork flies over the houses until getting to the right one.

J. 

Child Illness - So Sick I Could Die

"I'm so sick, I feel like I'm gonna die."

   I know we've all felt that way at some point, yeah? Today my 'Lil Miss was told she'd come down with bronchitis. She woke up last night with a 101 degree fever and has been tired and glazed over all day. She's had a nasty headache, and put herself to bed for a nap mid-day with the chills. At 7 years old, I'd wondered what she might be thinking about feeling so icky. I found out. 

   I was still at work and got a text that said, "So if this doesn't break your heart...she's feeling so horrible that through tears she just asked, "What happens if I die?" 

   THAT'S what she's been thinking about? I guess I've felt that way, but I knew I wasn't on my way out. The Wife had to calm her down and they were able to see the pediatrician before the day was out. I thought a bit about what life seems like to our little ones. Do we remember worrying about that kind of stuff, before we knew more about life 'n stuff? It really did break my heart to know that's what went through her young mind. I'm happy she voiced it, instead of keeping it in and stressing. 

   Always talk with your children. The little chats along the way, keep the communication going, and will add up to the ones that you're glad they came to you for. Granted, I'm still in the "ouchy" phase. I know that means one day, she'll be comfortable coming to me for girl stuff, boy stuff, stuff stuff, etc. Just keep talking. 

J.