LadyAberlin Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 My dh is about to turn 6. Anyway he keeps asking what testicles are for. I've tried to skirt the issue, but to no avail. One day he decided that they were to let him know when to go pee. I guess he changed his mind on that so he is asking again. Does anyone have any advice or children's books that you can recommend that might be generic but have just enough info to satisfy him? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 My dh is about to turn 6. Anyway he keeps asking what testicles are for. I've tried to skirt the issue, but to no avail. One day he decided that they were to let him know when to go pee. I guess he changed his mind on that so he is asking again. Does anyone have any advice or children's books that you can recommend that might be generic but have just enough info to satisfy him? Thanks! I'd just tell him that his testicles are there to help him to make a baby when he's older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 (edited) Um, just tell him the facts :001_smile: Use the same level of language you would use to explain about any other part of his body if he asked. Eg say he asked what his stomach is for and you said "well it's part of the digestive system. It mixes up the food you've eaten with a special sort of juice so that all the nutrients can be used by your body to move and grow". You can explain testes the same way, eg "Well, they don't really do anything now, but they are part of your reproductive system and when you grow up, your testicles will start making sperm. Do you know what that is? A special sort of cell. Cells are the tiny little bits that our bodies are made of. When a grown up couple wants to have a baby, they need a sperm from the man and a tiny egg from the woman. These special cells join together to make everything needed for a baby to grow." Of course you can give more detail if you want and if he's interested, but I think it's easier and better, as with everything kids ask about, to just tell then what they need to know and you can always add more the next time they ask you. Edited November 2, 2009 by Hotdrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 I told him that they were for making babies and then he said he was a boy and didn't have babies only girls do. I said that it makes something that God puts in the girl's tummy to help make the baby. He then said well he is never getting married or having kids. I told that was fine and no body was telling him to. He asked if the reason it hurt when you squeeze them was because there are little babies in there and he wanted to know if he was hurting them when he did that. So he is very confused. LOL I like the idea of talking about cells. He loves studying the human body and wants to be an eye doctor. He is always talking about cells so that would be a great way to approach it with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 My dh is about to turn 6. :w00t: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 So even if he never wants to have a baby, he will want to become a man, grow big strong muscles and have a nice, deep voice, etc. Maybe he would like that better than babies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 So even if he never wants to have a baby, he will want to become a man, grow big strong muscles and have a nice, deep voice, etc. Maybe he would like that better than babies! Thanks, he liked that.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Well I showed him a coupled of You Tube videos, so he could see the sperm fertilize the egg. It left off the how it gets there. He said those sperm are inside me? How do they get in the girl? Do they just shoot out? I just about died laughing. I said basically yes. He thought they shot out his belly button. LOL I said no and decided to leave it at God has a way of putting them in the girl. I really think anymore info at this age is too much at this point. He is just a very technical little guy and likes to know the details. He watches surgeries on TV etc. What do you think is the appropriate age to start telling them stuff? I always figured I would tell them stuff as the questions came up, but they came up a little sooner than I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Well I showed him a coupled of You Tube videos, so he could see the sperm fertilize the egg. It left off the how it gets there. He said those sperm are inside me? How do they get in the girl? Do they just shoot out? I just about died laughing. I said basically yes. He thought they shot out his belly button. LOL I said no and decided to leave it at God has a way of putting them in the girl. I really think anymore info at this age is too much at this point. He is just a very technical little guy and likes to know the details. He watches surgeries on TV etc. What do you think is the appropriate age to start telling them stuff? I always figured I would tell them stuff as the questions came up, but they came up a little sooner than I expected. FWIW both of my older kids knew the full details of sex and babies by age 2 (OK, maybe not FULL details. I didn't start discussing very adult topics such as rape or abortion at that stage. But they knew how the sperm gets to the ovum!). I think if they are interested, then it's the earlier the better as far as giving them the right information. Kids who grow up in ignorance are more likely to be told weird things by their friends, and develop a view of reproduction as being a taboo subject. Ignorance and shame puts kids at risk of sexual abuse. If you want to address sex and reproduction from your religious/moral point of view, that's great. But why confuse your child by letting him think that God pokes sperm through the bellybutton? You could just as easily say that "God has designed the reproductive system so that the man and the woman can...." Or say "husband and wife" if it is your belief that people should be chaste until marriage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Well I showed him a coupled of You Tube videos, so he could see the sperm fertilize the egg. It left off the how it gets there. He said those sperm are inside me? How do they get in the girl? Do they just shoot out? I just about died laughing. I said basically yes. He thought they shot out his belly button. LOL I said no and decided to leave it at God has a way of putting them in the girl. I really think anymore info at this age is too much at this point. He is just a very technical little guy and likes to know the details. He watches surgeries on TV etc. What do you think is the appropriate age to start telling them stuff? I always figured I would tell them stuff as the questions came up, but they came up a little sooner than I expected. Now. Along with a discussion about how this is a "family only" topic because other families discuss it privately and at different ages for their kids. BTW, I disagree with the characterization of "too much". Knowledge of biology in age appropriate, understandable, non slang terms is a good thing. It does not take away from "innocence", accelerate sexual maturity, or hurt a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 My dh is about to turn 6. Yikes!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catalinakel Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Now. Along with a discussion about how this is a "family only" topic because other families discuss it privately and at different ages for their kids. BTW, I disagree with the characterization of "too much". Knowledge of biology in age appropriate, understandable, non slang terms is a good thing. It does not take away from "innocence", accelerate sexual maturity, or hurt a child. :iagree:It is time to tell him when he has those questions. Nothing to be ashamed of..simple biology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 We wait...depending on the question being asked, if we feel the child is too young for the answer, we just say so. They understand, for ex, that it wouldn't be helpful (or safe!) for our 2yo to get a driving lesson, & so they pretty much accept when we tell them that something's a little bit beyond what they're ready for at the moment. We use this answer very infrequently, so we don't arouse suspicion or cause frustration, but when we feel we need it, it's a good answer, imo. A lot of people have different thoughts on this issue, which I respect, but I thought I'd throw in a dissenting voice, just to help make anyone leaning this direction to know that they're not alone. :001_smile: Fwiw, I think the "right" age varies from kid to kid & w/ personal situations. Unless something changes, we're thinking 10 for ds & 8 for dd...partly because we'll be going back thr Biology by then, & we want to make sure we talk to dd before she hits puberty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 You could read Where Do Chicks Come From? as it discusses sperm without explicitly talking about mating. I say, start with the animal kingdom so it's not a SHOCK. I know someone (only slightly older than I) who claims to have been taken to the doctor right before her wedding for "the big talk." I think that's a bit too protective.... Seeing some animals mating kind of gives you the general idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 My dh is about to turn 6. Anyway he keeps asking what testicles are for. but have just enough info to satisfy him? Thanks! :lol: I can't help it. I'm a total middle-schooler and immature. I'm guessing you meant your son not your husband, but it made my day anyway. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 What do you think is the appropriate age to start telling them stuff? I always figured I would tell them stuff as the questions came up, but they came up a little sooner than I expected. yes, answer his questions as they occur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 He asked if the reason it hurt when you squeeze them was because there are little babies in there and he wanted to know if he was hurting them when he did that. So he is very confused. LOL I like the idea of talking about cells. That is so cute. Do you have a microscope? That helps with cells. To avoid this situation, I started telling kiddo the B and Bs in the cradle. It is old hat for him. If his father hadn't been snipped, we'd have looked at those little swimmers under the microscope, too, but I realize most people aren't that crazed about science. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoboys Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 We are planning to use the "God's Design for Sex" series. This looked like a great series from a Christian perspective. I don't know if you are looking for basic biology lesson or a sex ed series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 :lol: I can't help it. I'm a total middle-schooler and immature. I'm guessing you meant your son not your husband, but it made my day anyway. :tongue_smilie: Yes my ds LOL. I was tired. No my dh is 48 and yes he knows what they are for LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Yes my ds LOL. I was tired. No my dh is 48 and yes he knows what they are for LOL :lol: Great, lighthearted post with a very gracious response. Thanks for the chuckle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Now. Along with a discussion about how this is a "family only" topic because other families discuss it privately and at different ages for their kids. This morning He told his 3 yr old brother that he once was a sperm and that they should pretend that they are sperm and racing to the egg and whoever got to the egg first got to be the baby :lol: We'll have to be having a talk to him about not playing this at the next homeschool co-op! My sister said the game reminds her of the old Rosalind Russel movie Auntie Mame. It is quite funny and strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Oh my dear friend. Reading this post was a hoot. You have such an interesting home.:D (She is my irl friend and her ds is quite the inquisitive young man.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Yes my ds LOL. I was tired. No my dh is 48 and yes he knows what they are for LOL I think that I would give that conversation over to dh.....;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I think your son sounds like a very cool kid! And very smart! We answer their questions very honestly, as they come up. I had the full sex talk with my oldest back in the summer. She took it well. Her response was, "I think it is so weird how it all just fits together!" :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 This morning He told his 3 yr old brother that he once was a sperm and that they should pretend that they are sperm and racing to the egg and whoever got to the egg first got to be the baby :lol: We'll have to be having a talk to him about not playing this at the next homeschool co-op! My sister said the game reminds her of the old Rosalind Russel movie Auntie Mame. It is quite funny and strange. :lol::lol: I can see the faces of other moms now! What is she teaching her kids???? Your son sounds like a very bright, inquisitive kiddos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 :lol::lol: I can see the faces of other moms now! What is she teaching her kids???? Your son sounds like a very bright, inquisitive kiddos. My 4yo regaled our guests with an anecdote about how Barry (our rooster) jumped on Mei Ling (one of our hens) because he wants her to hatch out babies. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 I think that I would give that conversation over to dh.....;) Sam you don't even want to know what dh said when I tried to turn it over to him.:ack2: I decided that it was best if I discussed it with ds instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 I think your son sounds like a very cool kid! And very smart! We answer their questions very honestly, as they come up. I had the full sex talk with my oldest back in the summer. She took it well. Her response was, "I think it is so weird how it all just fits together!" :lol::lol::lol: Don't you just love kids? They just have a way of putting things.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 My 4yo regaled our guests with an anecdote about how Barry (our rooster) jumped on Mei Ling (one of our hens) because he wants her to hatch out babies. :lol: When I was 9 or 10 we were at the duck pond with some friends and I ran to get my mom yelling that the one duck was trying to drown the other duck LOL. My mother had to have a little talk with me :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 When I was 9 or 10 we were at the duck pond with some friends and I ran to get my mom yelling that the one duck was trying to drown the other duck LOL. My mother had to have a little talk with me :blush: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBS Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I really thought the ducks were fighting, and I was about 14....city kid, me. I do B&B in layers, sort of...answer all the questions they can come up with, and maybe go just a little over their heads, for them to cogitate upon, rather than creating ideas too weird that might worry them. Someone told me to use correct words, not "baby in my tummy", so I did, and I heard UTERUS, really loudly, in public, or course, more than once. Nobody has worried yet, except "how many ways can you make it fit?" and my personal favorite" "Are you sure?"(it works that way.) My husband was useless on all this, and I had kinda thought he should tell the boys stuff.....but he did chime in with one classic and wonderfully succinct bit, to our college bound son "Remember to always think with the big head." Guys are so crude. I'm still laughing, cause it is good advice. Funny times, LBS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 My husband was useless on all this, and I had kinda thought he should tell the boys stuff.....but he did chime in with one classic and wonderfully succinct bit, to our college bound son "Remember to always think with the big head." Guys are so crude. I'm still laughing, cause it is good advice. Funny times, LBS That is hilarious:lol: Yeah my dh's response was crude as well, so I guess it is up to me. And I thought I wasn't going to have to have this talk since I only have boys:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) My oldest was turning 5 when he pried it out of me with very specific questions. Of course, I was pregnant, and had a homebirth. There is no hiding anything. When I told him as breezily and as matter-of-factly as I could, he turned to me and with a look of shock on his face he gasped, " I can't believe my poor grandparents had to do that six times!" LOL Edited November 11, 2009 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBS Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 (edited) Maybe I'm getting too in-depth, but, one of the B&B books, maybe the one with dancing sperm in tophats, on inside cover papers, said that orgasm was wonderful, kinda of like a big sneeze, it felt so good. Okay, maybe not good to use the O word with the young'uns, but the reason grandparents and parents (and other misc. humans) keep doing it, needs some reason.....something to make it reasonable, and not suffering, but not something to go try. Maybe this is objectionable, and I'm embarrassed that the dancing sperm and sneeze analogy are all I got out of that book, which I read in the bookstore and did not buy. But it might fill in a blank, for a subject that is never so easy to get over. I checked with my 17 year old boy the other day, and he said he was all up to date on it all.....every generation thinks they invented this stuff, don't they? L Edited November 12, 2009 by LBS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 The Sponge was getting curious about dh and if he had boy parts or girls (and tried to see for herself, eep, lol) so I pulled out my medical terminology book and showed her the parts, and explained that when people are married, well, tab a fits in slot b :lol: and the sperm goes up and meets the egg and grows a baby. And then she was satisfied and went off to play. We already had some reproductive books from the library because she wanted to learn about babies growing, so she knew what sperm and egg do already, and this just provided the first step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 12, 2009 Author Share Posted November 12, 2009 , tab a fits in slot b :lol: Never heard it explained that way before :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 12, 2009 Author Share Posted November 12, 2009 Maybe I'm getting too in-depth, but, one of the B&B books, maybe the one with dancing sperm in tophats, on inside cover papers, said that orgasm was wonderful, kinda of like a big sneeze, it felt so good. Okay, maybe not good to use the O word with the young'uns, but the reason grandparents and parents (and other misc. humans) keep doing it, needs some reason.....something to make it reasonable, and not suffering, but not something to go try. Maybe this is objectionable, and I'm embarrassed that the dancing sperm and sneeze analogy are all I got out of that book, which I read in the bookstore and did not buy. But it might fill in a blank, for a subject that is never so easy to get over. I checked with my 17 year old boy the other day, and he said he was all up to date on it all.....every generation thinks they invented this stuff, don't they? L I'd be curious to how my ds would respond to that. I've got all sorts of interesting responses now LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Um, am I the only person who does not think that orgasms feel like sneezing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 When I was 9 or 10 we were at the duck pond with some friends and I ran to get my mom yelling that the one duck was trying to drown the other duck LOL. My mother had to have a little talk with me :blush: Umm.....you want to know what's worse than that? I was around *ahem* 20 years old (already been married for a year and living on my own with my husband) and I look out our window and two dogs are mating in our front yard. I called my mom, who lived around the corner, and informed her that these two dogs were STUCK TOGETHER after finishing mating and I didn't know what to do! They looked miserable! I thought that some absolutely horrible mistake had occured with these two poor dogs! Needless to say, my mom had to have a little talk with *me* at 20 years old. :blushing: I had never EVER seen two dogs mating in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Umm.....you want to know what's worse than that? I was around *ahem* 20 years old (already been married for a year and living on my own with my husband) and I look out our window and two dogs are mating in our front yard. I called my mom, who lived around the corner, and informed her that these two dogs were STUCK TOGETHER after finishing mating and I didn't know what to do! They looked miserable! I thought that some absolutely horrible mistake had occured with these two poor dogs! Needless to say, my mom had to have a little talk with *me* at 20 years old. :blushing: I had never EVER seen two dogs mating in my life. I had to have been around 13 when I saw dogs doing it as well and I thought the same thing LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Um, am I the only person who does not think that orgasms feel like sneezing?? Nope definitely not like a sneeze:D I think they were just trying to say that a sneeze feels good and so does and orgasm. But my ds hates to sneeze so I can't use that analogy LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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