The Birds and the bees???

[Darth Instigator]

Ok I got a problem, my eight year old asked me and the wife today how he got my looks, he knows half his genes comes from me but he wants to know how they got there, I explained it as scientifically as I could but stopped before telling him how it got there, WTF should I do? I know there was a funny video out there, it was a flash animation with a bannana, I want to find it and look it over again. Does an 8 year old need to know? I'm in the medical profession so I can get pretty detailed and am pretty open about stuff, I just dont want to tell him too much.

[Luuuuuuke]

Just lie to him for a little longer He doesn't need to know yet. Not even in a metaphoric sense. Just tell him it has something to do with mitochloridians Thank God my daughter isn't even 4 yet. She won't be giving her old man a heart attack for a few more years....

[bobafrett]

I started to try to explain this to my son when he was in 6th grade, but he had already seen the information in class.

[2-1B]

Anyone else remember this episode of The Wonder Years ?

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Just give him a John Holmes video and let ol Johnny show him how it's done.

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Well, from my own experience, I know that by the time my old man sat me down to horrify me with the details (it's horrifying hearing it from a parent ), I already knew most of what he was saying so it was more to humour him if anything...

It's awkward though, I'm sure.

[jjreason]

You've got to do it early. Kids are going to start hearing about that stuff in and around grade 3 or 4, I'm guessing - no mention of it from my 7 year old yet - it's likely better to hear it from Mom or Dad than rely on the hearsay spread by 10 and 11 year olds (who are most likely hearing it from 13 or 14 year olds that presume to be experts... but in fact know very little and speculate wildly).

[Kidhuman]

dont lie anymore to the kid, tell him the truth in a way he can understand. HE already is traumatized by finding out the tooth fairy is you

[CaptainSolo1138]

I'd knock my own teeth out just to see jj walk through the door in an ill-fitting leotard and fairy wings to put a quarter (or Loony, whatever) under my pillow.

[darthvyn]

dont lie anymore to the kid, tell him the truth in a way he can understand. HE already is traumatized by finding out the tooth fairy is you

yeah, i second this motion... i don't understand the stigma people place around sex and intimacy. of course, look what gets a more restrictive rating by the MPAA - violence is all cool, but show some skin, and you better not watch it!!!

anyway, my parents were a little laid back about it, but my wife's parents, especially her father, were very open and honest about sex... he just basically would answer any question they had "until their eyes glazed over" which signified that he had gone over their heads, and then he shut up.

basically, there's no need to "lie" to your child. if he/she is curious about stuff, obviously they're old enough to know about it. otherwise they wouldn't be curious about it!

[El Chuxter]

You could show him the Octopussoir episode of Drawn Together.

[Kidhuman]

You could show him the Octopussoir episode of Drawn Together.

Or watch it yourself for a million laughs.