Oh boy. When my nine-year-old daughter finally earned her guinea pig, Herman,  the goal was to help her learn to be responsible and caring.  Little did I know that we’d be on the verge of discussing the facts of life.

Enter our 10-going-on-11 year old neighbor.  That’s a girl just about to start fifth grade where boys and girls segregate for health education class.  You know how girls talk.  Neighbor girl wants to earn a female guinea pig so her pet can mate with Herman.  The girls think it would be “fun” to have a lot of babies.  They checked out a book from the library.  I heard them outside last night reading bits and then saying “Eeewww!”  That’s what I’m saying.

I’m keeping my husband updated on our daughter’s summer of education and that at any moment, we will be playing on a whole new level.  Yesterday while we were all hanging out in the kitchen, I casually asked my daughter to explain the whole mating idea to my husband.

“Tell us again what mating means,” I started.

Our daughter looked at us like we were idiots.  “It means that if a boy likes a girl, they have babies,” she answered matter-of-factly.

“So, if a boy likes a girl, that’s all it takes?  Then she suddenly she has a baby?”

By the look on Gabby’s face, she clearly had not thought all this through.  We joked that she better not develop any crushes in fourth grade and she assured us that she still “hates” boys.  After chatting with neighbor girl’s mom, we agreed to keep each other updated on the release of crucial information.

So far, both girls believe sex means “kissing and hugging.”   When Gabby asked if guinea pigs have to be married to have babies, I gave an emphatic, “YES!”  In fact, my neighbors don’t even use the word “sex.” They refer to it as “the marriage act” to emphasize their values.

So, I’m monitoring the situation closely, ready to answer questions and dispense information as needed.  My favorite book for girls was purchased six months ago (”The Body Book” published by American Girl).  Little talks have already taken place.  It’s all in the timing, isn’t it?  You don’t want to give too much information too soon, yet not keep them ignorant to their detriment.

The only thing that makes me sad is that I may be discussing sex before she learns the truth about Santa Claus.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 5:29 am and is filed under Health and sex education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.