Our Kids Keep Us Humble

Sarah has been very interested in The Care and Keeping of You book by American Girl as of late.

I purchased it earlier this summer with the hopes it might motivate a certain child in my home to brush her hair now and then.

Oh, have I ever gotten what I bargained for and more.

We are not a family that believes in “taboo” topics. Though I might be dying inside, I talk about things like breasts and penises and the v-word and anything else (within reason) that comes up.

I don’t want to teach my children to be ashamed of ANYTHING, particularly when it comes to their bodies.

Ignoring private places and acting as if they don’t exist when they become a certain age just creates confusion and misunderstanding and Jason and I both feel we want to create an atmosphere where no topic is off-limits.

So while I believe in being direct and honest, I don’t believe Sarah is quite ready for “the talk.”

BUT.

She is very interested in this book and I want her to be prepared for when her body does indeed start to change.

So we read and chat as we lay in her bed at the end of the day. This is a safe haven because if she wants to talk about any of this stuff, I want it to be with me.

This evening I read the following passage:

“Breasts come in endless varieties. Some are big, some are small. Some are round, some are more pointy. Some sit high on the chest, some hang low. Some point up, some point down.”

And of course, I’m completely cracking up inside as I’m reading this but it’s true I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you, American Girl.

Just as I was marinating in the humor of this moment (add this to the list of “I can’t believe I just said those words…), Sarah broke the reverie of the inside joke I was having with myself.

“Yeah, mom. Like you have breasts that hang low and point down.”

Record scratch.

I guess it wouldn’t have been so bad if just the day before, Spencer hadn’t put his hands on my abdomen and asked why my stomach moves.

And in another banner parenting moment in which I’m certain I added another $200 to his future counseling bill, I very pleasantly bent over so I could see right into his innocent little eyes and, wearing my sweetest smile, said “Because of you, dear.”

Confused, I explain that he was a big boy and I had so many babies in such a short time and my stomach stretched and will never (without professional help) be the same again.

“Oh,” he answered and got the heck out of dodge.

Smart kid.

How do your kids keep you humble? Any funny stories you want to share?

 

 

 

 

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