Children are very curious and inquisitive, so naturally, questions about bodies and body parts are going to come up in my job. How one handles it, is key. Of course, there is that classic childhood game of 'Show me yours, and I'll show you mine.' I figured out early on that if you overreact to children playing that game, then they're going to try and hide and play it more often because they know they're not supposed to. So what I do is, if I catch children playing that game or indeed, other games similar to that, I gently pull them aside and explain to them that we keep our hands to ourselves and to please not pull your pants down in public. Simple. Done and dusted. No over reaction, just a quick explanation.
The questions I have had from children, that is another thing entirely. Again, how one reacts, is key. The first question I can remember was from a four-year-old boy who asked."Why do girls have chest lumps?"
Okay, I thought, trying not to freak out. How does one handle something like this? The clearest and most obvious answer I could think of was to say "Because girls need them."
"Yes, but why do they need them?" he questioned. I had stupidly thought my answer would be enough for him, but I should have known that children can be relentless with their questions and inquiries.
I tried to think quickly on my feet here, trying to figure out the best way to approach this subject. "Your friend Ryan," I said to the little boy. "His mummy is going to have a baby soon, did you know that?"
"Yes," he answered. He then made some comment about how Ryan's mummy had continued to get fatter over the months. I told this particular boy that Ryan's mummy needed those 'chest lumps' to feed her baby so that the baby could become big and strong. He looked rather disgusted for a second or two and then, satisfied with the explanation he went off on his merry way, forgetting the whole thing.
A recurring question I have had from the older boys is asking about their private parts. I really don't know what to do in those situations. "Why don't girls have diddles?" I have been asked a lot.
Again, I try to keep it as simple as possible. "Because some people don't need them," I tell the children. This answer usually always works, and the boys forget about it for the time being and go off and play games and learn. Children are easily distracted, which has worked in my favour many, many times.
Not so much a question, but another one I often hear from the boys is "My daddies is bigger than mine."
Why yes, yes it would be, I think when told of this information. I'm sure the fathers would be thrilled to receive such glowing reports of the male anatomy from their children. Perhaps the single father could use his son as a wing-man, with reports like that one?
The questions I have had from children, that is another thing entirely. Again, how one reacts, is key. The first question I can remember was from a four-year-old boy who asked."Why do girls have chest lumps?"
Okay, I thought, trying not to freak out. How does one handle something like this? The clearest and most obvious answer I could think of was to say "Because girls need them."
"Yes, but why do they need them?" he questioned. I had stupidly thought my answer would be enough for him, but I should have known that children can be relentless with their questions and inquiries.
I tried to think quickly on my feet here, trying to figure out the best way to approach this subject. "Your friend Ryan," I said to the little boy. "His mummy is going to have a baby soon, did you know that?"
"Yes," he answered. He then made some comment about how Ryan's mummy had continued to get fatter over the months. I told this particular boy that Ryan's mummy needed those 'chest lumps' to feed her baby so that the baby could become big and strong. He looked rather disgusted for a second or two and then, satisfied with the explanation he went off on his merry way, forgetting the whole thing.
A recurring question I have had from the older boys is asking about their private parts. I really don't know what to do in those situations. "Why don't girls have diddles?" I have been asked a lot.
Again, I try to keep it as simple as possible. "Because some people don't need them," I tell the children. This answer usually always works, and the boys forget about it for the time being and go off and play games and learn. Children are easily distracted, which has worked in my favour many, many times.
Not so much a question, but another one I often hear from the boys is "My daddies is bigger than mine."
Why yes, yes it would be, I think when told of this information. I'm sure the fathers would be thrilled to receive such glowing reports of the male anatomy from their children. Perhaps the single father could use his son as a wing-man, with reports like that one?
