The Curiosity of a Nine Year Old Girl

Previously, I've mentioned that Natalie's curiousity about sex, babies, and the body has been something that neither David nor I thought we were quite ready for, however, it seems that its time has come. She is afterall, 9 years old. And after three months of not seeing any of her classmates, I was stunned by how much her girlfriends have grown - that it won't be long until their budding development begins to show, as some have already done.

Last night, the night before the first day of school, at midnight, Natalie was still up. She just couldn't fall asleep. After trying desperately to encourage her that she needed to keep trying, she began to ask me - "Mommy, how do you get a baby?"

Now in the past we have talked about babies, sperm, eggs, dna, and even chromosones but in a very dry, scientific way. She knows about the menstrual cycle, at least that adult women get that, and why women have their periods. But now, she wanted to know how you actually get a baby. No way was I going to discuss this subject with her at midnight, the night before the first day of school. But I did ask her to be more clear with what she wanted to know. She said "you know when you have your period, it's the egg, but if you want a baby, do you go back to the hospital or to the doctor and tell them that you want a baby?"

Actually in the world we live today, that's not so far from the truth. In fact you can do that, but I won't intentionally confuse her with a game of bait and switch to avoid answering directly her questions. Yes, its time to fess up. I think I should probably have some books for her to read after our conversation so she can process it in her own way, on her own time.

If that beautiful picture wasn't enough of a clue of her beauty and maturity, this is.

My Beautiful Baby Doll

When I saw this picture, I was struck by just how beautiful Natalie is and how she is growing up so fast.