Well when a man and a woman love each other very much they get a stork and......

[maggenpye]

@BigT

Yes, and thus he didn’t attack anyone in the thread.

So then … his judgement can be ignored?

Thanks for the affirmation.

[MrDibble]

@WhyNot

MrDibble, I’m so sorry. My best attempt would have been, “Sometimes babies die inside their mommies. Mommy and Daddy are pretty sad about it, so if you see us crying, it’s okay. We’re just sad the baby died. You can be sad if you want, and we can be sad together. But it’s also okay if you’re not sad. We’ll feel better soon, but we’ll never forget the baby that died. Would you like to make Mommy a card and give her a big hug and tell her you love her?”

That’s about what we did - we also added that it was probably because the baby was too sick right from conception (“didn’t get put together right in Mommy’s womb” may have been how we put it, I’m afraid - we weren’t necessarily thinking clearly), which was possibly a mistake, given how concerned she was about our next pregnancy (who is now a bouncing 7 week-old!)

[C_K_Dexter_Haven]

I think it is important to find out exactly WHAT the child is asking, and then to answer that truthfully… but not to provide additional information until the child asks or is ready. A child facing the birth of a sibling, “The baby comes from Mommy’s tummy” may be sufficient. A lecture about birth control almost certainly isn’t. One needs to be focused on the child’s needs and desires to understand, rather than on the parent’s needs to be fully honest. (I’m not saying to be dishonest, I’m saying that FULL information isn’t necessarily called for.)

Our son around age 3 actually did (unknowingly) re-enact the old joke: he asked “Where did I come from?” and we asked what he meant, and he said that his friend at pre-school came from New York, where did he come from? So, be sure of what the child is asking.

[perfectparanoia]

@C_K_Dexter_Haven

Our son around age 3 actually did (unknowingly) re-enact the old joke: he asked “Where did I come from?” and we asked what he meant, and he said that his friend at pre-school came from New York, where did he come from? So, be sure of what the child is asking.

I had a similar one. My daughter asked, ‘how did God make me?’ and she wasn’t asking about sex, she was asking from a spiritual context (not that knowing that made it any easier to answer).

(Aside: yes, we believe in God. Yes, our kids believe in God. They also believe that being gay is okay and normal and that all people should be treated equally regardless of their colour, beliefs or sex. Please leave out the anti-christian dumping.)

[kayaker]

@perfectparanoia

I had a similar one. My daughter asked, ‘how did God make me?’ and she wasn’t asking about sex, she was asking from a spiritual context (not that knowing that made it any easier to answer).

(Aside: yes, we believe in God. Yes, our kids believe in God. They also believe that being gay is okay and normal and that all people should be treated equally regardless of their colour, beliefs or sex. Please leave out the anti-christian dumping.)

Very cute story. Endearing, even. Unnecessary (I think?) aside.

[DocCathode]

@perfectparanoia

I had a similar one. My daughter asked, ‘how did God make me?’

I would have to restrain myself from saying something like ‘Apparently quickly and with little attention to detail. You look funny and leak a lot.’

Note that I would never actually say something like that to a child. But, the urge to say it would be strong.

[MrDibble]

@DocCathode

Note that I would never actually say something like that to a child.

I would. And she’s laugh, too.

[BigT]

@maggenpye

So then … his judgement can be ignored?

Thanks for the affirmation.

Other than our differing definitions of ignore, sure.

Anyways, I came back to ask how many other people were laughing at the woman in the TED talks, rather than her kid, because she created all her own problems?

[iftheresaway]

@DocCathode

I would have to restrain myself from saying something like ‘Apparently quickly and with little attention to detail. You look funny and leak a lot.’

Note that I would never actually say something like that to a child. But, the urge to say it would be strong.

My dad would definitely have said something like that (and did say similar things all the time)! We thought it was hilarious - although somehow I always thought it was a bit funnier when he said it to my brother than to me.

[rhysf]

I once tried to correct some misinformation on the subject my six year-old picked up from his friends. I thought I’d done a good job but the message he got was that if he wants to make babies he needs to take his penis to China.