In case I needed a not-so-subtle reminder of things to come in the weeks and months ahead… over the weekend the Preschooler discovered a new book lurking on the bottom shelf of our big bookshelf in the den:
I’m not exaggerating when I say that she walked around with it and then sat down with it, poring over different pages and pictures, for at least twenty minutes. And, all the while, she was firing questions. Hard questions. Questions that I am not prepared to answer until she’s at least a tween, and probably then only with the help of expert advice in the form of parenting books and classes.
Up until this point, I’ve been pretty proud of myself for diverting all of the Preschooler’s pregnancy related questions with very simple answers that seem to satisfy her need to know. For example, when she asks, “Who put that baby there?,” my answer is, “God.” {I’ve found the Sunday School answers work like a charm}. When she asks, “How will the baby get out?,” I say, “The doctor will take it out.” And, again, she’s good with that. So, the questions have been going very well. Very well until this book ruined everything with its diagrams and photos.
Not only do I not want to talk about this topic with my 4-year old, but I’m really not all that comfortable discussing the more technical aspects of anything so medical in nature with anyone. I might be what you would call extremely modest… and extremely prone to worry. And, books like this particular one only create needless anxiety… and then I start Googling things and imagining symptoms, and it’s all down hill from there.
When I think about my past experiences with labor and delivery, it’s clear that I’m not qualified to explain it AND that I have nothing to prove in the way of strength or stamina. I’m OK with being weak and needy. I need an epidural. I might need some Stadol. And, after the fact, I’ll need some Tylenol 4 {in liquid form}. Given all the medication, I hardly know enough about what really happens to explain it to anyone, let alone to a preschooler who loves details.
From the beginning, I should have just gone with some elaborate story involving a stork to take care of all this curiosity. Do you think it’s too late for that?
For now… I’ll be moving some books around today, and several of them are going to find their way to much higher ground. We will also most definitely not be adding Your Journey Through Pregnancy to our list of bedtime reading options… much to one Preschooler’s dismay. Surely the Berenstain Bears have a better option out there on this topic…
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