Answering "Where Do Babies Come From?"

I just heard from the dad of a 6 year old daughter who was interested in knowing where babies come from. He says that his wife decided that, since her parents never told her anything, she would be honest with the girl:

Mom did not give her the mechanics of how a baby is created. Instead, when my daughter asked how a baby was made, she said that she is too young to know and that she would tell her later. So, what is the big deal?
Well, my neighbor had to break up an incident where my daughter was telling his daughter where babies come from. He said that his daughter was on her back with her legs spread (clothes on) and my daughter was kinda in the position of being a doctor. There was no touching, just pretending to give birth with a baby doll.
I was and still am not sure how to really handle this. I told my daughter that "Some parents do not want their children to know where babies come from and that it is not your job to tell them. The only person you can pretend with and discuss babies is your mother."
My daughter is such a sweet girl and doesn't appear to be "sick" in the least. I think she is fascinated by knowing that babies are in the bellies of the mom. I am concerned that she will do it again as she is passively hardheaded.
Did I say the right thing? Should I have said something else? What if it happens again? Any thoughts?

My thoughts are that he responded very wisely to his daughter. Her behavior, as described, indicates normal, healthy curiosity. He told her that other families have different ways of handling things like this--just as they do with stuff like how much TV or ice cream their kids can have.

What are your thoughts?

Dads & Moms & Marketing

I attended an inspiring evening at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis last night—about 30 parents gathered with Twin Cities Public TV producer Daniel Bergin to discuss media, media literacy, and our kids. The conversation kept coming back to marketing—for example, how most US children’s TV programs and websites are so tightly tied to retailers selling toys and food (far too much of both being junk).
Many of us struggle to strike the “right” balance for how much time our kids spend in front of a screen. There’s particular concern for daughters, who are hammered SO hard and SO often (on screen and off) with the dangerous message that their primary value resides in their external appearance (the technical term for this phenomenon is “bigotry”) and how “sexy” they act.
The conversation among this very diverse team of parents was inspiring and filled with practical ideas, like the “no pressure” birthday party—invitations say “your child is not expected to bring a present, and will not be coming home with gifts (aka swag).”
Yet I was also reminded how useful it is to see marketing itself as an organizing principle for analyzing and managing our children’s media consumption. After all, the drive to sell stuff is what motivates and pays for most children’s media. So, look at media (our kids’ and our own) through the critical lens of “how is marketing—especially selling us stuff we otherwise wouldn’t want or need—playing out in this situation?” That approach will give you lots of insight…and open up new possibilities for healthy responses to the ubiquity of media in the lives of our culture and families.
The best places to go for help with this are the Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood and the National Institute on Media and the Family, both of which have extensive information and resources on their sites.Thank you Daniel and the Walker for bringing us together!
Learn more @ www.dadsanddaughters.com.