I am a 38yo wife, mother, friend & sister. I have been married for 17 years, and I have two children: Music (formerly Karate Kid) my 14yo son, and Drama Queen, my 12yo daughter.
Tonight The Hubster and I are going to one of the area schools to preview the film that will be shown to the kids later this year. You know what I'm talking about. The Film. The one where the boys and girls are separated and see their respective movie about "Your Changing Body." The one where none of the girls can hear for all of the giggling. And the boys? Too busy making jokes.
I found out earlier this week that it was being shown when Karate Kid came home from school and announced: "I have a note for you. About that gross film we have to see in a couple of months."
Now when I was a child, talking about anything relating to puberty at first seemed like taboo. Of course the reaction that my mother got from me whenever she tried to bring up the subject probably didn't help at all. I remember being home sick from school one day, and she brought in two little leaflets/books. I still to this day remember the color of one of them. Her opening statement, "This is a good time for us to talk about this since your brother isn't here," made me literally hide my face behind my hands and groan. I thought I was going to die from embarrassment.
And the day I had to tell her that "Aunt Flo" had come for the first time? I wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. And to top it all off, she didn't hear me the first time and I had to repeat my news! After that, nothing made me more mad than when we were packing for a trip and I would get the inevitable, "Are you going to start while we're gone?" question. I'm talking raging mad in .003 seconds!
Since we never talked of such issues except for at the "major times," I was determined that my children would not have the same hang-ups as me. I've tried to take all of our conversations in stride, not making a big deal out of them. And we discuss things quite a bit so that they wouldn't have the shock of having The Talk, learning about it little by little instead. I explain terms to them when they ask (and I make sure not to gasp when they ask). Most of the talking has been with Karate Kid since Drama Queen's still a little young for some of the facts. So I was kind of tickled when we had this conversation:
KK: Am I going to karate Thursday night?
Me: No, Daddy and I are going to see that film remember?
KK: You're going to see it?
Me: Yes, I want to see what they're going to show you. Did you know that Daddy didn't see the film until he was in 8th grade?!
KK: "Friend A." said that we have to see the girls' film in 8th grade.
Me: Well, that sounds like an okay idea. It'll help you get to understand girls a little bit better.
KK: Mom, I already understand girls a little better. I don't want to understand them a lot better.
I should have told him not to worry. He's a boy; he'll never understand girls a lot better.
Posted @
1:01 PM ~
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