# How do you explain things like Cialis and Enzyte to your kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 29, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006 "2007-04-29T01:48:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/21 "2007-04-30T15:45:02Z")
I don’t fear these kinds of questions at all. I just tailor my response to make it appropriate to the age of the kid who’s asking. I’ve always told my kids that they can ask me _anything_ at all, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll find out, or help them find out. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/22 "2007-04-30T15:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=Geobabe] Considering my sons have been having erections since they were born, I don’t particularly worry about having to explain it to them. Yeah, they’re going to ask about sex some day, but the thing is, a lot of parents get hung up on thinking they have to do this big hairy sex-ed thing all at once. Keep it simple and do it a little bit at a time as they’re ready for more information. [/QUOTE] Exactly. My son learned it the other way 'round. When he informed me (in a shrill piping voice in the middle of the grocery store), “Mommy, sometimes my penis gets really big!” I started walking a little faster and leaned over and said, “Yep, that’s called an erection. But we don’t talk about it in the store, okay? We’ll about it talk later if you want to.” ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/23 "2007-04-30T15:48:05Z")
I’d tell them it was spam, just like in their email. And that like diet and political ads, they’re lying and trying to steal your money. That, I feel, is a far more important message than explaining the birds and bees. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/24 "2007-04-30T16:12:11Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] I think that whole thing is seriously messed up. My parents used “birdie” and “flower,” and one day when out camping there was the inevitable pee-pee parade, and my older brother made reference to his “flower” during the operation. Apparently, my father got really upset and yelled at him, “You don’t have a flower, you have a _birdie_,” causing a lot of toddler angst and confusion. Jesus, don’t introduce a bizarre level of abstraction to a simple thing and then freak out when a kid gets confused. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] What’s a pee-pee parade? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/25 "2007-04-30T16:15:36Z")
Okay okay, I added that line for humorous effect, don’t take it too literally, ok? Sure nothing to be ashamed about re: the human body, I was just thinking of the stereotypical handwringing parents who aren’t ready to talk to their kids about the facts of life. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/26 "2007-04-30T16:17:24Z")
[QUOTE=Pygmy Rugger] What’s a pee-pee parade? [/QUOTE] It’s when a bunch of kids express a need to go the bathroom at very close intervals. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/27 "2007-04-30T16:22:45Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] I’d tell them it was spam, just like in their email. And that like diet and political ads, they’re lying and trying to steal your money. That, I feel, is a far more important message than explaining the birds and bees. [/QUOTE] Cialis is FDA approved, with all the clinical trials that entails. B’sides, you’re just bitter because your username makes people think of Enzyte Bob, the Optimist! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/28 "2007-04-30T16:59:23Z")
You don’t. You wait until they’re adults, and then leave a BIG SAMPLE BOX OF CIALIS on the kitchen counter when your 30-year-old son is dropping off his infant for an afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa, right within your son’s line of sight, and wait for him turn bright red and leave the house, at which point, he asks his wife to scrub out his eyes with bleach when they get in the car. Yes, this just happened several weeks ago. Even worse, this past weekend, when we took the baby over for some grandparent-time, we discovered a PRESCRIPTION for Cialis sitting on the counter. My poor husband is scarred for life. E. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/29 "2007-04-30T17:12:23Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] Okay okay, I added that line for humorous effect, don’t take it too literally, ok? Sure nothing to be ashamed about re: the human body, I was just thinking of the stereotypical handwringing parents who aren’t ready to talk to their kids about the facts of life. [/QUOTE] I doubt they’ll be posting to a thread like this on a board like this. Go to the mothering boards for a whole new idea of what the world is like. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/30 "2007-04-30T17:17:08Z")
My son is 8. I don’t know if he’s noticed any of these ads, but I would start with, “oh, it’s something for grown men’s penises.” in reference to the medication. Then I would say, “it’s something to do with sex.” if there was further questioning. If he required more clarification I would say “the penis has to get hard and go up for sex.” At this age and with this child, I doubt we’d even get past question one. I think he may have seen the one for the non-approved “supplement” and asked basically what was going on and I told him the couple were “going off to have romantic encounter” which was totally enough for him. You may all borrow “going off to have romantic encounter” if you wish. I personally think it’s brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/31 "2007-04-30T18:40:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by John DiFool > “What is an erection, mommy?” > > “It’s when they vote for parliament in Japan.” On one of the albums by the political song humor group **The Capitol Steps** they have a sonf commenting on the 2000 election here in the US. At the end, a voice announces: “If election persists more than 72 hours, contact a Supreme Court Justice.” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006/32 "2007-04-30T18:50:28Z")
When I was in college and the whole Clinton impeachment thing was going on, I remember we asked our Latin prof, who had two small boys, what he told them about the constant news coverage. He said they understood that “he lied”, which was supposed to be the whole point anyway, right? And that they hadn’t really asked many questions about cigars or blowjobs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-explain-things-like-cialis-and-enzyte-to-your-kids/402006.md?page=1)