[QUOTE=muldoonthief]
No, Grits and Hard Toast was on target in describing my experience. I didn’t have a “reasonable comfort level” - I had a daughter in my lap waiting to be entertained, and suddenly realized this book had topics I wasn’t ready to discuss with her. So I changed the story, rather than risk getting questions I wasn’t prepared for at that moment - since I could do that without her knowing it. I didn’t sidestep or evade her questions, which I agree is not a good thing - I prevented them from occurring when I wasn’t ready for them.
Please don’t misunderstand me - I agree this is a very good book for introducing the topic, and encouraging such questions. But only if the parent is prepared, and as I’ve said 3 times before - there’s no external indication that this book has such topics in it.
[/QUOTE]
The problem being is that you aren’t going to be prepared. In the last three months (mine are seven and eight - in first and second grade) I’ve gotten pop questions on sex, oral sex, homosexuality, use of the word nigger, what all sorts of swear words actually mean, the Holocaust, Nazi’s in general, slavery, child labor, why we go to war, why people kill other people, why people are poor, and strange questions about God (I’m a Deist, my husband an atheist - most of the kids friends are Christian - I HATE the God questions). Today’s question was “why do people grow hair on their balls? Does everyone? Do some people shave (!) it? Does it hurt when they do it?” (“No, it doesn’t hurt” (unless you cut yourself, please do not ask your mother about Brazillian waxing and the need for Vicodin and tequila - that would be worse than the Theology questions)). The “Does Santa really exist” was EASY. All of these are topics I’d prefer to be prepared to answer, and wish I’d have thought about before having to answer them at a seven year old level. This book is the tip of the iceberg, the topic is well handled for you in an age appropriate manner. Eventually you won’t be able to distract - the questions will be direct and come from your daughter. I would really recommend you learn to punt, and punt fast - because it sounds like you want this to happen in a tidy and controlled fashion - and good luck with that.
