the gazinta talk

There is a moment most parents dread from the day their child takes his or her first breath. Some will say they don't, and for some of those it might actually be true, but still, once you let it be known that you got past it, they're all asking how you approached it. Everybody's looking for pointers.

I'm talking about the sex talk (or, the 'gazinta' talk), where you tell them this gazinta this and that's where babies come from. I had been putting it off like most parents, knowing I had to get there but not quite knowing how...or when, when the day was more or less forced upon me. A girl in my son's school class had her first period, and it did not go unnoticed. She was crying and it was a big production, and he came to me asking what was going on. Frankly, I'm glad he did. I'd rather he ask me than believe whatever his friends might tell him, and I'm glad he feels comfortable doing that.

It went surprisingly well. After it was over I found myself wondering what I was dreading. We talked about the physical differences between boys and girls, and all the things that are happening to him, and the girl in his class, and the issues of privacy and respect and yes, what gazinta what and the consequences of that, and what he needs to think about before he ever goes there. I left it all open so if he has more questions, or wants to talk about anything, and not necessarily sex, I hope he'll come to me to ask.

And ya know, I think he will.

(...and for the curious, no, I didn't tell him how to make her thighs twitch when you take your tongue and....there are things you really shouldn't learn from your dad.)