Teaching the facts of life

When I was 7, my school used a book that told me what I needed to know. I remember the book "Wonderfully Made" which we used in the 4th grade, but there is a younger version that we used in 2nd grade, whose title I can't remember. Something about six-year-old kids whose parents brought home a baby brother and sister. (It was actually a bit young for me, but I was an "old" 7-year-old - and I had enough brothers and sisters to have picked up a few "facts" along the way.)

Anyway, that book told me everything I needed to know (at that age) to understand where babies came from, except for how the sperm got to the egg. This I asked my mother, who gave me "the look," after which I guessed that mechanical fact.

As kids do, I moved on to more interesting occupations once my basic questions were answered. I didn't dwell on the intimate aspects of reproduction - gross or otherwise.

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There is an American Girl book about bodies, I am drawing a blank on the name though. It did a great job covering the basics on puberty. It had things like shaving, hair growth, periods, body shape, nutrition and everything.

That helped me a lot, and I found myself consulting it for a few years before I was passed that stage in my life.

If you go to the library they have plenty of books to help you discuss sex and how babies are made. They are (at least in my library) in the children's section.

Just make sure you have a conversation about what is in the book, don't just hand the book to her. I'd discuss what is in the book, let her read the book and then go over it to answer questions she may have and just to make sure she knows exactly what it is saying and not making any assumptions.

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When I became around the age of puberty, my mom had a book called "A Child Is Born" it is a book from the 70's I think, but it showed a developing fetus and explained a lot. I used it while I was pregnant also to "see" what my babies looked like.
She also showed me a video called "The Miracle of Life". I recently looked this video up online for a friend and couldn't find a video link, however I did come across another that was just about the same. It is called "Lifes Greatest Miracle". Here is the link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html

They are pretty graphic, so you may want to pick and choose what you show a 7 yr old, but they are very good resources.

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Your local public library will have tons of books for all ages and sensibilities. Leaf through them and decide what is appropriate for your family. I used "What's the Big Secret: Talking about sex with girls and boys" by Laury Krasny Brown and Marc Brown (yes, that Marc Brown of Arthur fame). For yourself, check out "Everything you never wanted your kids to know about sex (but were afraid they'd ask)" by Justin Richardson. Excellent, sane advice and as he points out, if after describing intercourse your child is not grossed out, she was NOT paying attention.

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