Kindergarteners discuss where baby's come from

I don't know why I've waited exactly, perhaps to keep kids from trying to stick their heads up my shirt to get a glance at Baby. When I think of telling my kindergarteners that I'm going to be a mommy, I remember my friend, Rachel, who is preschool director at our former church. I was teaching 3-year-olds at the time, and one Sunday Rachel came in to visit. She had explained to the children that she had a baby growing inside her belly, and from that moment on, I remember a certain little guy pulling her shirt up to see the baby every chance he got. I want to preserve my modesty, outside the doctor's office and delivery room, as much as I can, so I guess that's why I've waited to tell my young friends about the baby.

Well, I've decided its time to be brave and install an invisible electric fence on my blouses, if need be, and tell some of the kids what is going on. I started easily with my afternoon bus kids this week. I have about 10 kids who wait in my room at the end of the day until their bus is called. We will usually read a book or talk about something important to kindergarteners like burping or recess or who kicked who that day. So, this particular day, it came up that I am going to be a mommy. Apparently there are some kindergarteners out there who know quite a bit about giving birth and they immediately began voicing their knowledge about where babies come from. N* said "They cut the mommy's belly open and pull the baby out!" I'd say there has been at least one C-section in that family. Then, N*'s best friend, S* piped up "Babies can come out another way, too!" I thought, okay, here's the butt theory. When I taught preschool last year, a little girl explained to us that her mommy was going to have a baby and that the baby would have to come out of a 'special place'. She then whispered to me and the other teacher that the 'special place' was her mommy's butt. Well, I'd guess that little Mr.S* actually knew the real special place and merely said "It can come out of another place, too. And it's

'SGUSTING!!" "YEAH!" said N* "It's 'SGUSTING!!" All of a sudden kids were asking "Where's that, Mrs.Brown?" and I replied "SOOOO; Who kicked who today??"

I'm beginning to think that I should have waited until next August to tell, when I'll have school for only about 2 or 3 weeks before I have the baby. In the meantime, if the kids were asking why my tummy was starting to grow this year I could've just said "I eat LOTS of ice cream."