The Top of my Legs
For the last few months now, I’ve been facing awkward questions from one of Felix’s classmates. He lives round the corner from us, so we often end up walking home together.
He's fascinated and delighted by my swelling tum. It makes him grin broadly and ask questions such as, "Is there still a baby in your tummy?" and "How will it come out?"
At first I was quite vague about it all, but my problem is that with my own (now 6-yr-old) son, I never evade questions. I always answer honestly, and in as much detail as he’s capable of understanding. My attitude is that if he’s old enough to ask, he’s old enough to know. But with someone else’s child… a child who is taken dutifully to Mosque every evening… how much am I allowed to say? Will I offend someone if I give too much detail? I have this idea that people with strong religious backgrounds, Muslims and Christians alike, frown on detailed sex education. I don't know if I'm even right about this.
But I'm no good at lying. I've taken to saying that I have a special hole for the baby to come through. "Where?" he says, now even more fascinated. "Where is it?"
"At the top of my legs," I say, and that’s as far as I go.
So far I’ve managed to have this conversation out of earshot of his parents, but the other day his father was there and, understandably, got embarrassed. Then started dragging his son away and telling him off. Meanwhile the only thing I could do was act as though everything was fine and I didn’t mind in the least. Which I didn’t.
It wasn’t helped, though, by my son being present. He obviously felt I wasn't being graphic enough, and decided to help me out. He started prancing about behind me, giggling and pointing and saying, "Here! It’s in her bottom!" and just in case his friend wasn't well-informed enough about my nether regions, he added, "Her bottom’s really smelly, she farts all the time!"
It might be my imagination but when I saw Felix's friend again today, his father seemed less friendly than normal.
Minefield, eh?
___
He's fascinated and delighted by my swelling tum. It makes him grin broadly and ask questions such as, "Is there still a baby in your tummy?" and "How will it come out?"
At first I was quite vague about it all, but my problem is that with my own (now 6-yr-old) son, I never evade questions. I always answer honestly, and in as much detail as he’s capable of understanding. My attitude is that if he’s old enough to ask, he’s old enough to know. But with someone else’s child… a child who is taken dutifully to Mosque every evening… how much am I allowed to say? Will I offend someone if I give too much detail? I have this idea that people with strong religious backgrounds, Muslims and Christians alike, frown on detailed sex education. I don't know if I'm even right about this.
But I'm no good at lying. I've taken to saying that I have a special hole for the baby to come through. "Where?" he says, now even more fascinated. "Where is it?"
"At the top of my legs," I say, and that’s as far as I go.
So far I’ve managed to have this conversation out of earshot of his parents, but the other day his father was there and, understandably, got embarrassed. Then started dragging his son away and telling him off. Meanwhile the only thing I could do was act as though everything was fine and I didn’t mind in the least. Which I didn’t.
It wasn’t helped, though, by my son being present. He obviously felt I wasn't being graphic enough, and decided to help me out. He started prancing about behind me, giggling and pointing and saying, "Here! It’s in her bottom!" and just in case his friend wasn't well-informed enough about my nether regions, he added, "Her bottom’s really smelly, she farts all the time!"
It might be my imagination but when I saw Felix's friend again today, his father seemed less friendly than normal.
Minefield, eh?
___
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