The Birds and The Bees

Ben and I had a round-about discussion about the birds and the bees this morning on the way to preschool. He observed that his friend Matthew is an only child. "Why doesn't Matthew have a baby like I do?" He asked (Becca is, of course "his" baby). I explained that different families have different numbers of children, and that some have only one.

"My friend Johnny's mommy has three babies," he observed by way of supporting documentation. "She has Jakie, Jolie, and.... " he faltered.

"Johnny?" I prompted.

"Yes, Johnny. Why don't you have three babies?" he asked.

"Because I am happy with two babies," I told him.

Then he asked me if mommies always go to the hospital when babies are ready to come out. I told him most of the time mommies want to be at the hospital to have babies, so they can have medicine for the pain.

"Because they have to cut open your belly to get the baby out?" he asked, knowing that Rebecca was born by C section.

"Most babies don't come out that way," I told him, and I explained where most babies (including him) came out.

"MOMMY!" he said, shocked. "HOW DID I FIT THROUGH SUCH A SMALL HOLE?"

"With difficulty, my dear!" I told him.