Kids and Babies

Since starting back to school last week I have made some realizations in regards to school aged kids and their fascination with babies (especially babies still in the womb). They are absolutely OBSESSED! They seem to want to do nothing but touch my belly (with or without permission) and give me 'advice' and ask me questions about babies.

One student (mind you, he does have special needs) looked over at me while his teacher was teaching a lesson, a very important one about playground rules, and started laughing. When I calmly tried to redirect his attention back to the teacher with some nonverbal prompts he continued to laugh even harder than before. When I very calmly in my teacher voice said, "Is there something that's distracting you?" he replied back very loudly, "You have a very fat belly". THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!!!!

Then there was another time, actually this happened yesterday, when I was down at duty helping to make sure kids go home with the right adults. I was standing in the hallway doing my job when a little kindergartner came up to me and put her hand on my belly and said, "Why do you have a baby?" I was a little baffled by this question and so I quickly responded, "I don't know, I just do" and then I proceeded to turn away from her and pretend to be busy so she would not ask anymore questions regarding this matter. She then came back over to me, placed her hand on my stomach again and began lecturing me on how I should drink more water because everything I eat the baby eats. She even lifted her shirt up, pointed to her belly button and said, "Do you know this is how the baby gets food?" She also informed me that when I am nine (I think she meant nine months) my baby will be big and they will cut my stomach open at the hospital and take her out. Oh my....this whole situation made me very uncomfortable.

How do little kids know so much?!?! When I was little I just remember thinking that any married adult woman was supposed to be pregnant and I didn't question it or ponder any part of it when they were. It was just normal!

Why aren't kids that same way today? I have come to the conclusion that I am part of the problem. I, along with all of my other teacher colleagues, teach every child I come in contact with throughout the school day to be inquisitive in everything they do. We teach them that thinking about things and asking questions to learn how things work is good. I guess I should partially blame myself for the baby obsession - after all, they are just curious little ones asking lots of questions and trying to make sense of the whole baby phenomena that is pretty unfamiliar to them. I guess I just wish they would stop making me feel uncomfortable in their learning process.