My six year old son has asked questions occasionally about where babies come from since he was about three. In the beginning I used to limit it to "God gives mommies and daddies babies". Well, he's over that and has begun asking more detailed questions. Recently he asked how God puts the baby in the mommy's tummy and I said that when mommies and daddies love each other and snuggle God puts a seed in mommy's tummy. HOW does he do that? he said, through her bellybutton? Well, now I feel a little silly and I really think he needs a better explaination expecially because he asked why God would put a seed in the tummy of the daughter of an aquaintance who is a teenager. So I need a good book and some wise words for my six year old son. I've searched Amazon and did the keyword search on momsview but I would like your advice and recommendations, please.

By Mommmie on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 12:01 am:

At 6 you just have to tell them how the cow ate the cabbage. He is probably already hearing things at school and he's looking to you for confirmation. Just spell it out for him using correct terms. As time goes on you can add more and more details.

By Karefl on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 07:58 am:

If your looking for a religious/Christian perspective you local Christian Book Store should have some age appropriate materials for you! Good Luck!

By Kaye on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 09:56 am:

I think you have to be sure that you are answer the exact question being asked. I woudl probably say that God made women with an egg in their body, it gets fertilized and grows into a baby when God decides it is time. And then I would show him books of a growing baby. I think in some ways he is asking about sex, but mostly he is asking about how a baby can grow out of nothing, especially in a young person. Just putting his mind to ease that he won't get pregnant may help

By Kay on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 12:45 pm:

I've always been a firm believer in answering a child's questions honestly and in a way he/she will understand. Answer their questions simply and directly, without any more details than they ask for - I think of this joke every time this issue comes up:

A little boy asked his dad where he came from, so the father launched into a detailed discussion of the reproductive system, etc. The little boy replied, "My friend Billy said he came from Cincinnati, so I wanted to know where I came from."

By Coopaveryben on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 07:03 pm:

If you go to www.cph.org there is a great series of books, the first one is for ages 3years through Kindergarten "Why Boys and Girls are different-Learning about sex". It is from a biblical perspective. Just type sex in the search and you will get a list.

We went through this with my son and I was upfront with him without giving him too much info. He was satisfied with learning the different parts of the body for male and female. All he really wanted to know was how the baby came out and once I explained that to him he has been satisfied with that for some years.

I heard this at a children's conference this summer and I really liked it "a father and daughter were on a train and she was asking him about sex and he said you know the bags we brought with us on the train and how heavy they were, she of course said yes, he said I would never ask you to carry those bags because of how heavy they were and sex is kind of like that..let me carry it for you a little longer."

By Unschoolmom on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 07:12 pm:

Ask your local librarian as well. My daughter had questions at 5 and I went to the library and the librarian pulled a whole range of books for me to look over and make a choice about. There are some nice ones out there.

I took out a few and the one I remember had a very simple, respectful and funny explanation about sex and used terms like 'penis' and vagina'. My daughter has always used those terms so it helped. She learned the basic mechanics of reproductive sex and had a sense that it was something done between people who cared for each other. I remember a few months later she noticed a couple of flys, um, going at it and called me over to watch. "Look mommy! They're having sex and making babies!" She thought she was awfully lucky to have seen it.

But I think we just talked about it over the course of a day or two, she was happy and it hasn't come up since.

By Karen~moderator on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 01:56 pm:

Ditto Kay. I ALWAYS used the correct terms for the body parts also. Jen had so many questions at age 5 and I was concerned and my ped. gave us a book to read. You need to answer those questions simply, basically and honestly. Kids won't absorb comprehend a lot of details. I agree with getting a book for this subject.

By Momofmax on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 03:36 pm:

Thanks so much for your advice. I took it and ran and found a great book and also kinda went over in my head some things I want to make sure I tell him without giving him too much to carry (I loved the story about carrying the bags - that's how I feel).