008--Babies

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

[And here is Jenny, reading a copy of "Where Do I Come From?"]

....I realized that not everyone came from a machine, but this seems a little ridiculous.


((RIGHT. Jenny's learning about non-mechanical reproduction.))

Comments

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

I'm taking that as a 'no'.

Right, Jenny. Do you know what your...parts are called? [waving at her boobs and down below]

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

I'm fully versed in anatomy, if that's what you mean.

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Thank god for that. All right. Well, see. ...Right, so, the way this usually starts is about love. I guess that's the nice version. So when a bloke and a woman love each other, they have sex. And the bloke sort of...his...

Well, first he's got to be aroused. The woman should be, too. It's only fair. And anyway, they go to wherever, it's usually a bedroom or a couch. All right, sometimes a floor. But somewhere flat. And they get undressed.

And the bloke puts his penis inside the woman's vagina. And if he's good it'll feel good and last more than a minute, thank you, and eventually he'll orgasm and shoot sperm which might fertilize an egg in the woman. And you get how eggs work, right? It incubates in you. And nine monthsish later, you'll give birth.

...Right, so, questions?

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

So you need two people to do it?

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

I guess if we're getting into technicalities, no. To have a baby, you just need an egg and a sperm, really. Sex can be loads of things. Could have more than two people involved. And they could all be women. Or blokes. Or combinations. And I really don't know how sex works outside of humans and I don't plan on finding that one out.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

So it's not just for reproduction?

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Oh definitely not. I'd have a baby already otherwise. It can be nice, yeah. Depends on who and the circumstances and all that. Sometimes it's better to go solo. But if you're thinking about sex, you should really think it over, all right? Cause it can be good and great and wonderful but it's your body, Jenny. You shouldn't let any bloke - or girl, I guess - do anything you don't want to.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

So you can do it without being attached to someone?

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

You could, yeah. You could pick anyone off the street and do it. But it's better to wait for someone you really like. No matter how many pints you've had, too.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

So how does it work that only some people get babies, and some people don't?

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Right, well, sometimes for some reason the egg and the sperm just don't click. Or it doesn't reach the egg or the egg just dies. I don't remember biology. Natural things can stop it.

'Course then you've got options for controlling it. Much better there. I dunno what the future has but my time we've got condoms, for example. Those are popular. Little rubbery thing you peel over the penis and it catches the sperm, so you don't have to worry. Unless it tears. And there are various sorts of things a women can put up inside of her to catch the sperm or kill it. Spermicides. There's these gels, too, I've seen... I think you spread that inside.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

Oh! So you can prevent the baby from happening. That makes more sense now.

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Any other questions? Sorry, sort of packed a lot in there.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

I think you explained it loads better than the book ever could.

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

I know a few things. [hug time!] You can come to me with any questions on this, you know. I want you to keep me updated, okay? If you decide to try it.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

[Jenny loves hugs] I think it'd be easier to go to you, instead of Dad. And I'll tell you if I do.

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Might be better if you did. I don't think he knows what he's talking about.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

You don't?

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Not at all. I don't think he has the attention span for it. He'd get distracted. Anyone with a brain would get fed up and go do something else.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

I think it'd be amusing, knowing him.

[notquiteawidow.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. It'd be better than anything on telly. Just not educational or useful.

[lotsofrunning.livejournal.com]

If he does explain it, you should be there.