Questions that your child might ask you when they are small and their answers ‘Where did I come from?’ and other questions.....

What do you tell kids when they start asking uncomfortable questions? For starters, state the facts. It is ok not to know the answer. You can always say you will look it up together.

While looking up something online is definitely an option, you can’t leave the child unsupervised. Especially when the topic is how babies are made.

A book is much better because they can sit and browse the pages on their own instead of asking you to google everything (sometimes the same thing more than once).

One of the best books that I have come across to answer these touchy questions is: ‘I Wonder Why I Blink: And Other Questions About My Body’. It answers a lot of questions about prickly issues like skin colour, how babies are born and the functions of various organs in the body.

Though the recommended age for this book is 5-8 years, I have been using it for my daughter since she was about 4 years old. The visuals in the book are simple, yet detailed. I like the matter of fact tone.

While you can get many straightforward answers in this book, it may spark a series of questions that need a more emotional response. Sometimes it is the eternal question about God and who put us here. Sometimes it is a factual answer that needs a bit of tweaking so sentiments are not hurt.

Here are some of my answers to such questions. Feel free to borrow them if you like:

Where was I before I was in your uterus?

You were in my heart.

I don’t say you were with God before you were in my uterus because she knows that people go to God when they die.

How did I come in your heart? Who put me there?

God did. God puts babies in mummy’s hearts before they go to the uterus. And for babies who are adopted, God puts them in the mother’s heart too. They are just in another mummy’s uterus.

So is my beba (baby) also in my heart now?

Yes and she is watching everything you do, so better eat up all your veggies so she will grow up to be strong like you.

When I was just a heartbeat did I have a brain?

No you didn’t…But, you had a soul. (The underlying question is whether she was alive and was she still smart.)

What is this? (Referring to stretch marks on the belly)

These are stretch marks. When the baby grows inside, the skin stretches and makes these marks.

Did I hurt you when I was growing inside? (The stretch marks again)

No baby. These are smiles on the skin. The tummy makes big smiles because it is so happy when you are growing.

And here is a question that she answered for herself:

What does the tooth fairy do with my teeth?

She gives to babies who need new teeth.

As you can see, I try to answer these questions keeping her emotions in mind and try to weave in the facts as much as possible. If you have any questions that are not answered in this book or have a better book to recommend, share your comments below.