The Birds and The Bees According To a 1st Grader

With the current debate on whether sex education should be part of the curriculum as early as preschool, it came as a surprise that a few days ago my youngest kid blurted, “Mama, how are babies made?”

It was so spontaneous and I didn’t know how to handle it.

My first taste of sex ed happened in 7th grade when I had homework for my biology class. We were studying the reproductive system and I was reviewing with my grandma. I guess it was her protective nature which made her decide to use “safe” words in explaining the process to me. And to think she happened to be an educator par excellence.

Anyway, the review went this way….

“The puchikoy of the boy and the puchikay of the girl……(you get the picture)”

I pretty much understood what she was trying to say, though not scientifically. But I got it. Up to the time I had to study the process in earnest later on, I was still using puchikoy and puchikay as descriptive terms of….you know what and you know what.

So, with my kid asking the same question, I didn’t want to shock her with the “puchikoy/puchikay theory” just yet. Luckily, my eldest saved the day. Mind you, we haven’t talked “birds and bees” yet. She just had her own theory.

Gaby’s theory goes this way…..

A baby starts as a bean in Mama’s tummy. Then Mama has to keep eating healthy food so the bean will grow. When its time to come out, Mama has to scream, “The baby is coming out!!!” and Papa has to rush her to the hospital so the doctors can take the baby out.

This made Adi happy because all the while she thought that babies were born in the toilet.

As for this whole issue on whether sex ed should be taught early, well, I think it should be the parents who explain the basics. I guess its the “old school” in me. And I’m dying to use the “puchikoy/puchikay” theory.