Recently I had my son (8) in the car together with some friends, a boy/girl twin pair of the same age. It is always a great learning experience to have some kids in the back of the car, interacting with each other, without really noticing me. In situations like this I usually erect a ‘somebody-else’s-problem-field’ (*) around me so that I remain the non-existent observer.

The subject at that time was babies, and birth. Like usually in this area, girls are a bit ahead of boys, so the girl was pushing some rather interesting data towards the two boys. When the boys were slightly skeptical about some of the facts submitted, my veil was broken once or twice to solicit my expert advise.

I certainly answered, but sparingly so. We were on the way to the ice rink and I did not really want to get started explaining any details, especially not to kids that I had only borrowed and who’s parents plans I did not know. One of the questions for which my expert advise had been demanded, was “Does the sperm really must get to the egg?”

For me, the logical next question would have been, who the heck did that sperm get there. It surprised me again, as it had already several times before, that this question was not brought up. Makes me curious if kids really develop any curiosity when they are ready to actually face the facts. I still remember, I was about 10 when the mechanics of that procedure entered my world and that it was rather disturbing.

From very early age on, our son had learned that a baby grows in mommy’s tummy, and in pre-school he had a class where he saw pictures about how the baby was located – and again, the question of how it gets out there never came up.

I am sure that this will not be too far in the future, but for that second question I am now ready after I found this image…

I would love to give credit to the creator of this educational master piece, unfortunately it ended up in my email box without any such information as author’s name and email or web. Should anybody know, I will be glad to provide a link back.

(*) somebody else’s problem field – an invention by Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame.