Oh. My. God.
So, this morning I was drinking my coffee and reading the paper, and Leo was eating his Lucky Charms just like any other morning. Suddenly he put down his spoon and with a really serious expression on his face said, "Mama? Do you and Dr. Carter have sex?" Needless to say, I spilled my hot coffee all over the front of my nightshirt but I didn't even feel it. I just stared at him, my six-year-old (have I mentioned he's only six?), and almost said, "I don't know, but I'm definitely about to have a fit." Instead I tried to remain as calm as possible and asked him where he heard about sex. " Alex told me that his mom told him that's what people do and that's what makes babies, and since you thought you were maybe gonna have a baby I thought maybe you had sex, and Alex asked if you were dating anyone and I said Dr. Carter is here sometimes and sometimes you go out with him so he said you might be. He said sex is 'intermint' and he looked it up in the dictionary and that means you're really really really close."
Have I mentioned yet he's only six? Oh yes, I have.
Anyway, I'm not going to lie to my kid. He's been through enough hardcore reality for me to lie to him about this sort of thing. So I had to go through the whole spiel about how sex is something grown-ups do when they love each other. All right, I lied a little bit, but he does not need to know yet that it doesn't always work out that way. Of course then he asked if that means do I love Dr. Carter? I told him that yes, John and I had told each other that we loved each other. Then he asked me if that means Dr. Carter is going to be his new daddy. Oh god. John and I have not and are not ready to talk about marriage yet. So I just told him the truth, that I didn't know. I don't know. And when he did actually ask me what sex was, I said he's a little too young for the details and not to ask Alex about it. I said he could learn what it is maybe when he's ten. The truth is, I have no idea when I should actually tell him about it. I don't really want to think about that right now.
Needless to say I eventually sent him out to play and spiked my next cup of coffee with some whiskey. *sigh*
Have I mentioned yet he's only six? Oh yes, I have.
Anyway, I'm not going to lie to my kid. He's been through enough hardcore reality for me to lie to him about this sort of thing. So I had to go through the whole spiel about how sex is something grown-ups do when they love each other. All right, I lied a little bit, but he does not need to know yet that it doesn't always work out that way. Of course then he asked if that means do I love Dr. Carter? I told him that yes, John and I had told each other that we loved each other. Then he asked me if that means Dr. Carter is going to be his new daddy. Oh god. John and I have not and are not ready to talk about marriage yet. So I just told him the truth, that I didn't know. I don't know. And when he did actually ask me what sex was, I said he's a little too young for the details and not to ask Alex about it. I said he could learn what it is maybe when he's ten. The truth is, I have no idea when I should actually tell him about it. I don't really want to think about that right now.
Needless to say I eventually sent him out to play and spiked my next cup of coffee with some whiskey. *sigh*