That's Gross

As promised, here's the story of why the comment "That's gross!" was so hilarious.

JBP was watching a show on animal babies (development and birth) on the National Geographic channel. (Free preview, we don't have digital cable. Yet.) The show moves from elephants to dolphins and begins talking about the process of conception. You know, s*x.

JBP turns to me and asks, "What's see-men?"

Now, he understands the basics of reproduction fairly well. He just needed a definition for a word he hadn't heard before as I've always referred to it as the seed.

When I explained what see-men was, he said, "Does that mean we do it like dolphins do?"

I responded, "Yes."

He thought for a moment, digesting the information and decided, "That's gross!"

Although this is a comment relatively common among his peers and agemates (notice I don't necessarily believe these two groups are one and the same) it is not a comment I'd ever expected to hear from JBP.

This is the same young man who's been flirting with the female half of the population since he was old enough to hold his head up on his own. Who, at the age of 5, turned to a waitress and said, "You have very pretty eyes!". Who, when he has a choice, will almost always choose to play with the girls (unless only the boys are playing a sport).

So, while I firmly expect to have major "girl troubles" when puberty hits, I never expected male/female relations to be termed as "gross" by him.

He is at an age where he is voraciously interested in the conception, development and birth process, but, most obviously, from the solely scientific point of view. So far. Thank God!

We've also had to have the discussion of babies outside of marriage this month, as one of his cousins at the family reunion was eight months pregnant and sans husband.

One thing I'm trying to fervently impress on him is the seriousness and spiritual aspects of s*x (it's not a sport, like so many of today's young people think it is). I really hope he'll be able to avoid the pitfalls I tumbled into in my youth. But what parent doesn't?

Nimitz' Lady