Talking with Kids and Teens About Pregnancy

The idea of the “birds and the bees” is to present information sex and conception to young kids. When someone mentions talking about the birds and the bees, often the underlying message they are giving is simple: they aren’t comfortable talking with their kids about “where babies come from” or about sex and conception using clear, direct, accurate language.

Within the metaphor, parents who choose to talk about the birds and the bees will tell their children about the way that flowers are pollinated and how the seeds are then spread to make more flowers. Though this explanation is a lot closer than telling younger children that babies are brought by the stork or made by magic when two people love one another, it doesn’t help kids to learn about how babies are made.

Even when kids are as young as 3, 4, or 5, they’ve noticed that boys and girls are different - that they have different parts. While you won’t tell your kids about the mechanics of sex at this age, if they ask where babies come from, it’s reasonable to tell them that babies grow in a special place in their mommies. The details of conception - talk about sexual intercourse, sperm, eggs, fertilization, conception and the implanting of a fertilized egg in the wall of the woman’s uterus - can wait until children are older, but in many cases, using metaphors will only add to a child’s confusion.