In Honor of the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
At what age is it appropriate for parents to talk to their children about abortion? How detailed should they be?
If you don't want to discuss it with your young kids, what would you do if they asked?
It's never too early. There was never a time when my partner and I (or my mom and I, or friends and I, etc) didn't discuss abortion around my kids. Four years ago, during election season, I explained to my then-two year old that one of the reasons we didn't want Bush to win was because he was against abortion . . . which led into a discussion about what abortion meant. At the time, we described it as something a pregnant woman can do to avoid having a baby. Since then, she's gained a better understanding of reproduction, and we've talked about abortion in a lot more detail -- different ways they can be performed, why it's so important that women have the right to have one, why some people are against it (and why they're wrong).
At the age she is now, Rylie can read my bumper stickers and shirts, and there's no way we could avoid discussing it even if we wanted to. I'm kind of curious to know what parents who don't want to discuss abortion with their young-ish children would do if they were asked directly: "What does that mean?"
If you don't want to discuss it with your young kids, what would you do if they asked?
It's never too early. There was never a time when my partner and I (or my mom and I, or friends and I, etc) didn't discuss abortion around my kids. Four years ago, during election season, I explained to my then-two year old that one of the reasons we didn't want Bush to win was because he was against abortion . . . which led into a discussion about what abortion meant. At the time, we described it as something a pregnant woman can do to avoid having a baby. Since then, she's gained a better understanding of reproduction, and we've talked about abortion in a lot more detail -- different ways they can be performed, why it's so important that women have the right to have one, why some people are against it (and why they're wrong).
At the age she is now, Rylie can read my bumper stickers and shirts, and there's no way we could avoid discussing it even if we wanted to. I'm kind of curious to know what parents who don't want to discuss abortion with their young-ish children would do if they were asked directly: "What does that mean?"