This guilt thing that I should be doing something "productive" is really getting in the way of my blogging. That and my newest addiction Facebook, which I'm getting over already. ( I told you I had a short attention span!)
Anyway, we were talking about how to handle a delicate situation with a 5th grader when we last met.
You all had some great perspectives on how you would address this matter.
Bottom line is my friend told her daughter that she was glad she came to her for information. She told her that she shouldn't be discussing stuff like that with her friend and that yes, sometimes moms and dads use something called birth control to prevent having a baby. She also told her she had never heard of a "calm down."
It ended there. (For now.)
I'm pretty open with my daughters when they have questions. As Zibbs said, I try to keep it pretty clinical, but I'm not going to freak out if they hear something at school. It would be naive to think that kids in 4th and 5th grade don't know at least something about sex.
I would much rather have my child be the one hearing stuff, than have her be the one telling My worst nightmare is getting a phone call from an irrate parent telling me that Meg gave her child a complete run down on "how babies are made." When I tell her things I ask her to keep it just between us. I'm sure she doesn't listen all the time.
I actually have a neighbor who called the elementary school principal to scream at him because her 6 year old daughter heard the word "vagina" from someone at school. She had never heard that word before at home! She told the principal that her son who is in 4th grade doesn't even know that word! I give the principal credit because he told her, "With all due respect ma'am. I'm sure your son does know that word, he just won't let you know that he does." HA!
I think parents have to face facts that kids are curious and they are going to ask questions. They are ALSO going to goof around and get silly about it sometimes. It's natural.
Alright, I'm done talking about that.
I think I'll open a can of worms. How 'bout that Inauguration? It's amazing what a production you can pull together with $150 million dollars.
The Obamas really know how to put on a show!!!
Now if I had that kind of dough, I might consider doing something a little more low key and take the rest of the loot and use it to help people who really need it. But hey, it's his money and if he wants to use it to throw a huge, ostentatious bash, who am I to tell him what to do with his money?
