"Nothing Sexual"

Lego people and sex. Yeah, this is going to be a good post.

So, two of our kids are playing with their immense Lego collection. Apparently, they made a house, and one said something about putting the boy and girl being in the same bed. The other one said, "OK, but nothing sexual."

My wife heard this as she worked on the computer (I was reading to the third child). She pulled me aside and explained what happened. And she turned it over to me.

So I pulled aside Child to talk. It took some prodding to get Child to remember and repeat what was said. Our conversation continued something like this:

Child:  I think I said, "Nothing sexual."
Me:  Do you know what that word means?
Child: I think it has something to do with love and marriage.
Me: You're right. But it's more than that. Where did you hear it from?
Child:  I guess I just heard it around.
Me:  From other kids?
Child:  Yeah. Is it an inappropriate word?
Me:  No. It's not inappropriate. But God does want sexuality to stay in the context of love and marriage. Some people treat it outside of marriage, and that is not honoring and pleasing to God. But inside of marriage, it's a wonderful thing. Does that make sense?
Child:  Yes.
Me:  So, we can talk about it. Nothing to be embarassed about. But it's probably not best to use it in front of other kids. OK?
Child:  OK. Can I go play now?
Me:  Sure.

Should I have been upset that my kids picked this up from their peers? No way. As with this Birds and Bees conversation, we see conversations about sexuality as one bigger conversation, that continues over years and years.

Related Links:

• Let's Talk About Sex  
• Explaining Abortion to My Son  
• How Are Babies Made?     
• Special Time (from The Honest Toddler)