Sex

It's okay, Mom...this is not about what you think!

Growing up on a farm, as I've mentioned, gave me a head start on understanding the cycle of life.  Birth to death.  So now, as I am parenting my two boys I want to them to understand that birth, sex, and death are part of the life cycles of us all.  We don't have a farm, but we do have a television.

We've never sheltered them from watching programing about animals, well almost never.  This has been a good way for them to learn about all kinds of things...even sex.

Thanks to television my boys have long understood what "mating" is and why animals do it.  They know that mammals are all pretty similar in respects to procreation.  They also know that humans are mammals.  I would by lying though if I didn't say, I am dreading the moment they put it all together and look at he in that knowing way.

Funny story, with apologies to my dad:  Shortly after telling my parents that we were expecting our first child, we went out for breakfast with my parents, after church, and of course the future grandchild was on every one's brain.  When my dad says to Chief something like this,  "It's kind of neat to think about you swimming up there...isn't it."  He was of course referring to sperm.  My poor husband, how on earth does one respond to that, to your father-in-law of all people. "Yes, sir, it is fascinating thinking about my sperm impregnating your daughter."  I think Chief actually said, "yeah."

Yesterday my son comes home and tells me that he heard that "sex" and "sexy" are bad words.  When did that happen?  Sex, it is what you are, male or female (we'll cover transgender later).  It is also another name for mating.  Sexy is when the peahen likes the look of the peacock, she thinks he is mate-worthy.

 Isn't it just simpler if we are honest with our children?

to be fair, I did tell them that under no circumstances are they to tell anyone they are sexy until they are 18, and even then it is subject to my approval