Birds and the Bees: How to Explain to Children

We were on our way to school when one of the disc jockeys on the radio blurted out, “I’d love to have s** with her.” My daughter immediately asked, “what is s**?” I was shocked. “It’s another way to say whether you’re a boy or girl,” I told her. How else could I explain the meaning of the word to my 6-year-old?

I wasn’t lying, but I was kinda deflecting. How was I supposed to get into a conversation with my first grader about the birds and the bees?! Did I mention that her little brother was also in the car?

We Can’t Always Control Kids’ Exposure to Things

My little girl wasn’t satisfied with my answer. It’s as if she was prosecuting a case. “But what does that mean?” She went on to question why the guy on the radio wanted to have s** with a lady. My little girl obviously knows about the difference between the verb and noun definition of “s**.”

I guess I could have explained that it’s something grown ups do when they love each other at that time. But knowing my daughter, the explanation wouldn’t have stopped there. She’d probably connect all the dots and demand to know more.

You’re probably wondering how on earth I allowed this to happen. As parents, my husband and I are extremely careful with what our kids are exposed to. But the reality is we can’t shield them from everything.

The other day we were watching “The Voice,” which is a family friendly show. But, then a commercial for another show came on that was completely inappropriate for children.

Let’s not forget what kids pick up in the streets. My daughter and I were on the subway when a group of teens began making inappropriate innuendos.

We can’t always escape the topic of the birds and the bees and other subject matters we don’t want our kids to hear. I know our kids won’t stay children forever. I felt comfortable with how I handled the birds and the bees chat with our 6-year-old.

Parents Explain Birds and the Bees to Kids

But, then I remembered a post I wrote for BabyCenter a couple of years ago about the awkward talk with kids.

Cut.com put together a video of parents talking with their kids about the birds and the bees. The analogies used to describe s** are hilarious or awkward depending on how you look at it.

One Dad explains the act to his daughter using the “penis into the pocket” metaphor. “Mommy and daddy hang out,” “work together,” and “special dance” are some of the other analogies mentioned in the video.

Practice What You Preach

After reading my old post again, I felt like a complete hypocrite. “You should say Mommy and Daddy have s**. If your children are mature enough to have the birds and the bees talk, they are mature enough to know exactly how babies are made,” I wrote.

My daughter was just 4-years-old, so having the talk never came up at the time. But, I vowed that when the subject did come up that I wouldn’t sugar coat it.

So, here we are. After some thought, I decided to keep my word and speak with her about it in private.

Like some of the parents in the video, I struggled to find the write words at first. But, I think I did a pretty good job. What do you think? Here’s a clip of part of our conversation. Please don’t forget to subscribe to WeatherAnchorMama and MyFunPrincessLife on Youtube.