My 5-year-old son recently had a little friend over. They found one of the sisters’ cootie catchers (yes, I provided a picture so you know what I’m talking about) and were having some fun with it. Eventually the friend picked “number 7” and my son opened it up and read the comment. It said “You will marry Justin Bieber”. Friend innocently replies “I can’t marry him because I’m a boy and he’s a boy”, to which my son responds “Of course boys can get married”. I’m sitting at my laptop listening to them bicker about whether boys can marry each other, and then it happens – I get pulled in.
My son yells out “Hey mom, boys can get married to boys, right?”
I looked at our little friend and wondered for a moment: How much information are you “allowed” to share with other people’s kids?
I decided to answer him just as I’d answer one of my own kid’s questions – factually, but in easy to understand terms.
I gave the heads up to my mom friend about the conversation. It’s worth sharing the information because it gives the parents the opportunity to open up more discussion on the topic – “I heard that you were talking about marriage today?” would make for some great dinner time conversation!
What would you have done? Ever find yourself talking to the neighbourhood kids about sex, religion, politics or other topics that may have caught you off guard?
What a great topic ! I once
What a great topic ! I once had a twelve year old neighbor boy in my kitchen on a school holiday (it happened to be Martin Luther King Day, this will matter as you read on). He made an off handed but very racist comment. I took the opportunity to fly to the basement, haul out a few of African American history books, and give an impromptu lesson, complete with a reading of Free At Last. Talk about a teachable moment ! I will say I know the boy and his parents well, and they'd expect this kind of thing from me, but honestly, I don't think you can ever go wrong with sharing the truth in an age appropriate way. Congratulations on a job well done mom !