Where babies come from

Friends tease me for this, but I openly admit that I had some strange misconceptions of sex when I was younger. The biggest misconception concerned the act of sex itself. See, for some reason, I thought that a man and a woman had sex by lying very still next to each other with the man inside the woman. I understood the biological part, but I entirely missed the whole "sex act" part.

I've had several people ask where this misconception may have arisen. I wasn't 100% sure until tonight.

I got to my parents' house. Sitting in the bathroom (yes, we read books in the bathroom here. Magazines and newspapers too) was "Where do babies come from?" by Margaret Sheffield. It's a children's book from my childhood (and apparently out of print, so I'm going to encourage my parents to keep it). I remember reading this often as a small child.

Each page explains something about sex/babies and has a drawing accompanied by text. It was this page in particular that stood out:

The only way for the sperm to get to an egg is through the woman's vagina. This is how babies are begun, with the man lying so close to the woman that his penis can fit into her vagina. If one of his sperms can get to one of her eggs, a baby will begin to grow.

Maybe it is because the book doesn't mention passion, thrusting, or even how the sperm leaves the penis. I think I may have once imagined that men could control the flow of sperm (ha!). I suppose I thought the book covered everything about sex rather than just explaining the baby part.

In any case, it was an interesting memory lane type find. I'm sure they'll be many more in my next few days at home as I sort through old books and continue cleaning out the dregs of what I've left at my parents' house.

Comments

[Chris]

haha!!! My parents have this book as well. I remember finding this in the hall closet (next to my old room) when I was a really little kid. My parents actually sat down and read through it with me.

Later, I also found the Joy of Sex in the same closet, but I was much older by then . . . I think 16.

[Zandria]

You cannot be blamed for thinking what you did if that was your frame of reference. And you probably knew way more than I did when I was that age. No "how babies are made" kids-books in the house I grew up in! :)

[Jules]

Being adopted and all, I just thought you went and picked up the baby that was just right for you. I really didn't get the whole thing figured out until I was like, 12, or something.

[kish mcnish]

this is descutsting

[Natalie]

I had this book too. My mom got pregnant when I was 3 and this is what they got me. I thought it was one of the most beautiful books I ever owned and I think it gave me a very idealized view of sex what with all they beautiful fields of flowed and moonlight.

[Kristin]

My parenys never got this book, my aunt did when i was 5 and my parents never founout abot it until i was 12!!!!! my aunt also explained it to me!!!!