[net.kids] Moral: Be open minded, but careful

beth@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (beth d. christy) (05/08/85)

So there was this family.  Mom and Dad were young, attractive,
sincere people who cared about the rights of people as human
beings.  8 year old Billy was bright, energetic and astoundingly
cute.  And this young, attractive family moved to a new neighbor-
hood last fall.  And after his first day at his new school,
adorable young Billy arrived home, marched straight into the
kitchen and said to his mother "Mom.  What's sex?"

Well Mom, being the progressive, open-minded woman that she was,
knew that someday she would have to have a heart-to-heart with
her son regarding "the facts of life".  She did think she wouldn't
have to deal with it for a couple more years (8 years old seemed
kind of young), but, well, this new school system probably had a
liberal sex education program, and she would rather her son hear
it from her than from some stranger with a rubber-tipped pointer.  
So she squared her shoulders, sat Billy down at the kitchen table
and proceeded to give a detailed (and somewhat lenghty) rendition
of the birds and the bees and the coconut trees.

Unfortunately, the more she explained, the more perplexed Billy
seemed to get.  Finally, after a good 30 minutes of explanation,
she stopped and said "Billy.  Do you understand what I've been
saying?"  As Billy pulled a paper from his school bag, he said
"Well, yes Mom, I understand what you said."  And, pointing to
the application for enrollment in his school he added, somewhat
perplexedly, "But how am I supposed to fit all that into this
little box?"

-- 

--JB                                                  "The giant is awake."