uhh ohh...My 3 year old has just asked me where babies come from....

Ames

But surely if a child can see daddy's penis (as everyone's saying that it's fine for parents to walk arond naked), it's no big deal to see mummy's bits? And by saying they can see daddy's but not mummy's, it's making women's bits somehow more tabboo, dirtier etc than men's? It's nature that says that kids need to get nearer to mummy's than daddy's, after all.

Person_one

Ames wrote: »

But surely if a child can see daddy's penis (as everyone's saying that it's fine for parents to walk arond naked), it's no big deal to see mummy's bits? And by saying they can see daddy's but not mummy's, it's making women's bits somehow more tabboo, dirtier etc than men's? It's nature that says that kids need to get nearer to mummy's than daddy's, after all.

A woman's genitals are a bit more internal than a man's, it would be more like the dad lifting up his penis to show a child his scrotum underneath, or separating his bum cheeks to show a child his anus, but its still not really comparable.

Erm, and at what point post birth do children get close to their mother's genitals ever again?

Ames

I meant that they need to get nearer to be able to see.

Person_one

Ames wrote: »

I meant that they need to get nearer to be able to see.

I mean its not appropriate to get that near! Mummy's bits are on the inside, Daddy's are on the outside, that's why they can see Daddy's more easily, it doesn't mean Mummy has to clear a path so they can get a good look at hers too!

Seriously, diagram and hand mirror. For girls anyway its much much better to get acquainted with your own, as everybody looks a bit different down there.

Nicki

Ames wrote: »

But surely if a child can see daddy's penis (as everyone's saying that it's fine for parents to walk arond naked), it's no big deal to see mummy's bits? And by saying they can see daddy's but not mummy's, it's making women's bits somehow more tabboo, dirtier etc than men's? It's nature that says that kids need to get nearer to mummy's than daddy's, after all.

Child can see mum without her pants on just as she can see dad without his. But no more appropriate for mum to give a guided tour than it would be for dad to demonstrate how to pull back his foreskin or make himself erect. IMO and I don't see how it's hard to understand the distinction.

somethingsgottogive

On Monday night we were watching some kids programme or other, and suddenly my 5 year old looks up at me and says 'But mum, how does the baby get OUT of a mummy's tummy??'

I've already told her that when a couple want to have a baby, one grows in the ladys tummy - and she sees perfectly content with that, but this was a new one!

Thank god for google images, I found some really good diagrams to show her, but she still looked puzzled so we had a half hour talk about vaginas (which I tried *really* hard to say in a completely normal voice!) wombs and cervixes. Still quite puzzled about the 'hole between a ladies legs' and asking how babies come out of legs, I had to show her the least scary picture I could find of a baby crowning... and then she asked me if we could find a video of a baby being born, on youtube. I had to draw the line there!

rumdiddlyum

Sorry didnt read the whole post, as i havent time got to go out. When my kids asked me how id we get in your tummy i said daddy has to put a bean in my belly button,then you grew in my belly and then you have to go to the hospital when your tummy is hugeso that the doctors can let the baby back out of your belly button. This has lasted for ages im dreading when they get older he he.

Person_one

rumdiddlyum wrote: »

Sorry didnt read the whole post, as i havent time got to go out. When my kids asked me how id we get in your tummy i said daddy has to put a bean in my belly button,then you grew in my belly and then you have to go to the hospital when your tummy is hugeso that the doctors can let the baby back out of your belly button. This has lasted for ages im dreading when they get older he he.

Oh Lord, I give up!

thatgirlsam

I told my dd that babies come out of your vagina - She doesn't seem to traumatised!

Ds has not asked yet but he will be told the same

I can't see the point of making up some story.. its just biology

skintchick

Nicki wrote: »

If you read all my posts you will see I don't disagree with you on nudity and co bathing! I do it with my own children. Skintchick is discussing though pulling back her labia to show her child the three openings in her vagina. Some (maybe most, maybe not all) professionals working with children would regard that as a red flag and would report it. You will also see that I did not speculate as to whether a CP investigation would find a case to answer, but just that it would be traumatic for all concerned.

No I am not. That's not what I said. I said 'from the outside', by which I meant that she looks when I sit on the loo, so that's what she can see, and I would then talk about the three openings. Although I don;t actually see a major issue with pulling the labia aside as part of a discussion about anatomy, I haven;t found the need to do so. All of my discussion on this is hypothetical as my DD has not asked me where babies come from yet.

And for the record, she doesn;t go to nursery. (And there are not three openings in the vagina. The vagina is one of the three openings, but I know you know that and it was just a typo.)