By Leslie Means 
“I didn’t know babies came out of your leg!”
Heaven help me. This is happening.
My girls and I have been having chats for a while now. We’ve named them, “Mom Chats.” You likely know the kind. It’s the chats that moms have with girls because dad doesn’t want to think about it. At all. Even mentioning the topic is enough to make a guy cringe. Who wants to think of their baby girls having discussions about boys and friends and babies coming out of legs?
Moms don’t either.
My first chat came on a warm summer day in the late 80s. My sister and I were out walking with our mom on a gravel road near our home. Somehow the conversation started. And mom was brilliant. She didn’t have to look into our eyes or stop to tell us all the details. We asked and she answered. Eyes were forward the entire time, just in case cars came by (of course). The sound of gravel crunching beneath our feet silenced any awkward moments. Although I don’t recall feeling awkward. I was just trying to soak it all in.
Funny how life repeats itself.
Saturday night, my girls laid beside me in big sister’s bed, soaking it all in. They asked, I answered.
“What do you and daddy talk about after we go to bed?”
“What do you do during the day on your computer?”
“Can boys be in the room when babies are born?”
“Can I have a baby by kissing?”
Heaven help me. This is happening.
I love chatting with my girls. It’s the one time in our night they truly don’t want daddy in the room. I’ll take as many moments like that as I can get. But it’s all such a big responsibility. Parenting is, I suppose, one of the most difficult jobs we’ll ever have. What an honor to be the first one to tell them about these magical, wonderful, scary, crazy, miraculous moments yet to come. It’s a pretty cool gig. And that’s what I’ll try to remember as my girls get older and their questions get more detailed.
“Now remember, girls,” I remind them as they snuggle up beside me, “Moms and Dads talk to kids about all sorts of topics at all different ages. And sometimes, they wait until kids are older. So let’s just keep this chat to ourselves for a while, OK?”
The last thing I need is my 5-year-old yelling, “Babies come out of legs!” to her Pre-Kindergarten class.
“But we can tell daddy, right?” my 7-year-old questioned.
“Of course. Yes, daddy, too,” I respond. “We can always talk to daddy.”
“You might want to tell daddy about it too, mom,” said that sweet innocent 5-year-old. “He might not know.”
“I, uh, I think he might have a good idea,” I responded.
They smiled and giggled, and my heart melted into mush, yet again.
“I’m confused, mom,” said my 7-year-old as we were wrapping up our chat. “I still don’t understand how babies are made.”
I was about to tell her a few more details when the 5-year-old saved the day with, “Don’t you know? It’s magic,” she exclaimed. “Jesus just does it.”
Heaven help me, this is happening, but thankfully, it’s not happening tonight.
Sending good luck to all of my fellow parents out there starting the in-depth “Mom Talks.” May your answers be strong and your courage be stronger.
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