Self Teaching the Birds and the Bees

Hey moms! I just figured out a new way to teach kids about the birds and the bees. Having the "talk" with Sarah has been on my parent 'to do' list for a few months now. I have procrastinated it 1. because we've been so busy and 2. I'm not ready! However, I have recently discovered that if I just hold off a little, my smart 9 year old will figure it all out on her own. Problem solved!

I didn't ever think that doing a science experiment with Sarah would get the wheels turning on this subject. Our school science fair is coming up and Sarah chose to do an experiment with fingerprints. So she gathered fingerprints from our family, including grandma and grandpa P. who were visiting this last weekend. She is looking to see if there is any similarity between family members' patterns on their fingerprints.

As we got talking about her hypothesis, she guessed that our fingerprint patterns will maybe look similar because of genes. She's always understood about the basics of genetics and how you inherit certain qualities from your parents - she knows her olive skin color comes from me and Natalie's dark hair comes from daddy, etc. But this time she really started thinking about this and it turned into quite the conversation. Chris and I were in stitches by the time we were done...

First Sarah started wondering, "How do I get genes from daddy? I was in YOUR stomach. Daddy's don't have babies." She pointed out to me. I followed up cautiously with: "Well, it takes a mommy AND a daddy to make a baby."

Sarah, "So there's got to be some way to get daddy's genes in your tummy for the baby."

Yikes! Did she really figure that out so fast.

Then, to add to the hilarity of the moment at precisely the height of the conversation, Natalie pipes in with the most random comment.

Natalie: "Well, whoever smelt it, dealt it!"

Obviously, her thoughts were on a different plain.

Sarah said grandma was laughing so hard, she thought she would have a heart attack and I think I almost peed my pants.

Then Sarah guessed, "I know! Daddy's genes go from his brain (ha ha) to his mouth and go in your mouth when you kiss him."

Yep - we left it at that for now. I actually confessed that it was a brilliant thought - but that we would have to discuss the details at a later time when my littler girls who were only thinking of gassy jokes weren't listening.

Oh my baby - I just want her to stay innocent. I'm not ready, but I guess she is - and who knows what she'll come up with if I don't help her out.

Here's some more pictures of the fingerprinting fun.

Angela tried on the microscope cover. Isn't it stunning?

Angela was hilarious trying to look in the microscope. It's a tricky skill when you're 4.

Sarah looks like she's still thinking hard - "So how do those genes get in mommy's tummy?"