The Birds and the Bees

One problem of having a gifted child is their excessive need for reading everything. We have gotten them all sorts of books, but the ones they seem to want to read the most are the science books. In particular, our oldest likes to read nonfiction books, science books, or I've even caught him reading the dictionary. To me these are some of the most boring books, but he can't get enough.

We have volumes of science books and old childcraft books that are somewhat like an encyclopedia, and I'm sure he has read all 16 volumes beginning to end.

Now, we don't have anything that is of questionable material around our house, and we don't have any books that are inappropriate for children, but one day I was a bit worried.

We have pretty high standards in our house and somehow we were having an innocent discussion about what rules we have toward dating when you get older and how we are supposed to get married before you live with someone, and how we are supposed to be married before we have kids. Then out of the blue our oldest says something toward the extent of "I know because then the sperm fertilizes the egg to make a baby".

This was right before he was being dropped off at school, and since I was so shocked that a nine year old would even know these words, I didn't say anything and just waved him goodbye. After he was gone I frantically called up my husband and demanded to know what he could possibly know to which my husband said "huh?".

Later that night I pulled my oldest aside and asked him what exactly he knew about this sperm and egg thing he had told me about earlier. He then began this exact text book definition/explanation that you might find in a high school health class book about the human reproduction.

I asked him where he learned this, if he read it, or someone told him. He said he read it in one of his science books about the human body. I assumed he had read it being that he can pretty much retell word for word anything he has read. He has this kind of incredible reciprocating memory. Anyway, I asked him if he knew how this science explanation all happened, and he said not really, and I took it like he didn't really care.

So, that was that. No, I don't think we'll get into that discussion just yet. Nine years old is a bit young for me I think. He didn't ask me any questions and it's OK. I'm a bit relieved, but it's so true that he knows so much. Sometimes it scares me how much he reads and all he knows. Hopefully I'll be ready when the real talk time comes. I think I'll direct him to his father then.