There was a flutter of excitement in the playground at school pick-up yesterday. It’s Book Week and the kids have been asked to bring in their favourite book for News. Lots of Enid Blyton from the girls, books about sharks and dinosaurs from the boys.
Until Wednesday, when one little bloke brought in “Where did I come from?”
Apparently there were lots of questions being asked at lots of year 2 kids’ homes on Wednesday night. Not quite as earthshattering as the News announcement in kindy that Santa Claus didn’t exist, but still quite discombobulating.
Not in the Household, I had no idea anything was amiss.
As a couple of school mums informed me of the incident, my eldest stood tugging on my arm with impatient boredom. When I finally gave in and left, and after I lectured her on “manners”, I informed her that if she’d bothered it was a very interesting conversation Mum was having.
I told her one of the boys in her sister’s class had brought in a book about where babies come from. Blank stare.
I’ve nervously skirted around birds and bees conversations in the past so I thought, Now’s my chance, I’ll be bold.
So I asked her if she had any questions about where babies come from.
“I don’t want to know.”
And I was transported back to my teen years when I was enlisted by my mother to tell my sister the facts of life. She said exactly the same thing. In that instance I pressed on with teenaged zeal and gave her all the gruesome details.
This time, I merely said, “Well, if you hear anything in the playground it might not be quite right, so please come and ask me any questions you might have.”
And that’s where me and the nine-year-old left it.
As for the seven-year-old, when I quizzed her she said she didn’t remember any strange books being presented in news. When I suggested a possible title, she said, “Oh yeah, he likes that book because he says it’s funny … something about a baby coming out of a mug …” Then she turned back to cartoons on the TV.
Right, well, no trauma suffered there.
Any odd tomes popped up for Book Week at your place?
housegoeshome 
That’s hilarious! How did the teacher cope? At our school there were just plenty who focussed on the dress up and forget about the book theme, so came as Ironman or some such. My girls were fairies from the Daisy Meadows books. There are approximately 3 million books in that series (feels like) so they had plenty of options.
I haven’t heard the part 2 from the teacher yet … can’t wait! Our school isn’t big on Book Week, so it was more my last-minute-chuck-a-fairy-frock at the youngest affair (I mean, Enid Blyton books are full of fairies!)
you would have been proud, Alana, No 2 child went as the 10th Doctor Who with trench coat and sonic screwdriver.
Awwww bless!
That just made my day! So funny.