Not sure whether to laugh or cry

[simplemama32]

DS (3 yrs) has been asking a lot of questions lately about babies.  Specifically, about when I was pregnant with him [LOL...I do have to quickly share how cute and hilarious it is that he is now telling me stories about "when I was a dot, Mama..." because I went into a little too much detail when I told him how he started out as a tiny cell (the dot)].  Anway, we've been reading a book called When You Were Inside Mommy which is overall pretty good, but there are a ton of illustrations with mom AND dad together & happy.  DS keeps looking at the dad in the story and asking me who he is.    When I tell him that's the daddy, DS gets this look on his face like "huh...I wonder why he keeps hanging around the mama and the baby?" and actually does ask me why the daddy is there.

This from a child who has very frequent, positive interaction with his own father!  I'm not really sure how to respond in these situations.  (though I do take the opportunity to briefly and gently explain how families can be different.)

[RollerCoasterMama]

My DS is going through a similar phase right now.  He reeeeally wants his own baby.  When I said "not right now" and he latched onto the idea of his baby when he grows up, he asked if when he was the daddy could he go visit at his baby's house.  Yup...another laugh/cry moment!!  And he talks to his dad several times a week and sees him at least once a week with mostly EOW visits. 

(Man this kid wants his own baby!  I told him he could have one when he grows up and gets a job and get married.  "But I'm going to marry you!"  Then when told you can't marry your mom and have a baby, he chose his 12 yr old cousin because she smiles a lot.  And he's has been deciding on what job to have:  rhinocerous doctor is high on the list.  Otherwise pretty much any profession that might involve a horse.)

[simplemama32]

Rhinocerous doctor...very cool!  Yeah, DS waffles back and forth about whether he wants a baby, too.  ;-)  One day he told me, "But, Mama! I don't WANT to be a daddy...I want to be a COWBOY!"  And he followed that up with a very thoughtful look and then quietly said, "But first I need to find a cow somewhere..."    

Other days he talks about when he grows up and a baby comes out of his tummy, and he's so sincere I can't quite break it to him that boys don't get pregnant!

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by simplemama32 

Rhinocerous doctor...very cool!  Yeah, DS waffles back and forth about whether he wants a baby, too.  ;-)  One day he told me, "But, Mama! I don't WANT to be a daddy...I want to be a COWBOY!"  And he followed that up with a very thoughtful look and then quietly said, "But first I need to find a cow somewhere..."    

Other days he talks about when he grows up and a baby comes out of his tummy, and he's so sincere I can't quite break it to him that boys don't get pregnant!

LOL!  We have the same kid.  :)  I didn't break it to him about babies growing in his belly until he was four.  I'm pregnant right now (carrying for friends so it's opened up a whole lot of interesting conversations!) so we talk about babies a LOT.  We've been through "If you eat will food fall on the baby???" and "Do you have to EAT the baby to get it in your tummy??" (I cheated and said the doctor put it there since this pregnancy was IVF) and all sorts of other interesting theories.  I just answer one small direct question at a time.  It's going pretty well so far!!  Mostly he just wants to assert his claim on me as his mommy by asking about when he was a baby in my tummy.  He loves to hear about anything he did in my tummy or immediately after he was born.  He's even fond of pointing out that my squishy mummy tummy is all from him.  (Sadly at almost 8 months pregnant, there's still a squishy bit left that hasn't turned into nice preggo belly yet.  But hey, no new stretchmarks this time since DS did all the stretching!)  :)  His current theory on how the baby gets out:  the mom lays on a table (thank you tv) and the doctor scoops it out of her belly button.  He TOLD me rather than ASKED me, so I haven't clarified that one yet!