Another Creation Myth
Entry by: AmyKO
23rd July 2024
ANOTHER CREATION MYTH
Lili is full of beans today. Dad is sure she saves up all her energy for when Mum is out.
“Daddy?” She is hopping from foot to foot next to him in the kitchen while he makes (another) coffee, her wonky pigtails flicking wildly.
“What is it, sausage?” He tries to be as enthusiastic as possible, given that she has already asked close to what seems a thousand questions beginning with a long drawn-out ‘daddyyyyyy’ this morning.
“Daddy, where do new babies actually come from and why don’t you and mummy go and get one?” Lili pouts and swings her hips from side to side. She’s very sweet - well, aren’t most four-year-olds? "I want a baby brother or a sister - but more a brother because I think a girl baby might want to use all my things and sometime I don't actually feel like sharing even though sharing is caring."
Dad stops stirring his coffee and smiles to himself. Typical! He gets asked the birds and the bees question while Mum is out, and he has absolutely no idea how to answer his innocent little girl. Has Lili heard them talking? They have discussed the pros and cons of having another child a few times over the past few months. Why has she chosen to ask him right now? What’s the done thing these days? He's caught off guard - mentally prepared for an afternoon of Peppa Pig and (God forbid) glitter, not the intricacies of plausible explanations for the childhood mystery of where babies actually come from. He remembers there was talk of storks and cabbage patches when he was a boy, but surely he didn’t ever believe all that nonsense - hadn’t he always known how babies are made? Deciding this is way too complex an issue to tackle alone, he brushes off the question as best he can.
“Ooh Lily, that’s a brilliant question - so brilliant in fact that I think we should save it for when Mummy comes home!” Dad was impressed with his avoidance and deflection. Parenting pro.
“No, but DADDAY, she’s going to be aaaaages and I want to know about the babies please NOW! not later - Daddy, why won’t you tell me - I don’t want to wait.” Dad sensed a tantrum brewing. Could his parenting skills have already been maxed-out? Could be a problem. Okay - plan B incoming.
“Right, well, babies? So, erm, the babies, the babies all live on a... a planet far far away…”
“No they don’t! They live inside the mummy’s tummies, actually, Daddy. Please don’t lie to me, I’m not silly - you know I'm going to go to big school in Se-tember!”
Lili is a very bright child, always full of questions, absorbing new information with a wide-eyed thirst. So much so that Dad is often overwhelmed by the details his young daughter craves, and he questions his abilities to successfully provide the knowledge she needs. He would usually leave the tricky stuff to Mum - she is so much more adept at navigating what is necessary and appropriate to inject into Lili's young mind. Enough to satisfy them, not too much to swamp them. A tricky balancing act. But the mums talk together about this stuff. They keep abreast of parenting trends, how to answer questions and nurture their children to thrive with healthy bodies and minds. He's been told by Mum not to brush off inquisitiveness or make Lili feel like she's a nuisance. He must provide a response. But what? It's all too much for Dad. He checks his watch. Mum won't be home just yet. It's all on him. Deep breath.
“You’re not silly at all, little Lili! You are a very very clever girl. You’re right - the babies do live inside the mummy’s tummy, but before they get there they start out on a planet that we just see as a star, twinkling away in the sky at night. When the mummy and the daddy really really want a baby, they... they have to wish very hard while looking into the sky - into space, at the planet with the babies on it, it’s called ‘wishing on a star’, and if there’s a baby ready for them, then, then... while the mummy is sleeping, the baby is... is, erm, sent to the mummy, at the speed of light - so fast you can't even see and it lives inside her tummy until it’s big enough to, big enough, erm to, to come out.” Dad has given it his all. Coffee is no longer strong enough this afternoon. Come home quick! He silently implores.
“How? Daddy that’s silly!”
Dad had to admit, it did sound silly. But it's the best he has. He's pretty sure that telling a four year old the realities about how babies are made is not ‘PC’.
“Maybe we can talk to mummy about it when she comes home - she won’t be long,” Dad just wants to drink his coffee and hopefully watch the football, if Lili will let him. He quickly sends Mum a text:
LILI ASKING ABOUT HOW BABIES ARE MADE. TOLD HER THEY COME FROM A PLANET WHEN YOU WISH ON A STAR. PLEASE BACK ME UP WHEN SHE ASKS SHE SMELLS A RAT & I DON’T KNOW WHAT I SHOULD BE TELLING HER! HELP! X
Mum arrives home an hour later. Dad has assumed Lili has forgotten all about where babies come from and is relaxing in front of the TV while his daughter plays with her toys on the floor.
“So, Lili! Have you had a fun time with Daddy today?” Mum shoots dad a smile and an eyebrow rise - she’s testing to see if Lili mentions the babies.
“Mummy!” Lili jumps up and runs over to hug her mum. “Daddy told me babies come from Outers Pace on a planet, and when you wish hard enough on a star, the baby flies through the air at the speed of lightening and lands in the mummy’s tummy. Is that true, mummy? I said it was a silly story and I want you and daddy to get a baby so if it’s true please can you make sure you wish hard enough. Does it hurt when the baby gets into your tummy? Or are you fast asleep and you just wake up with a big tummy and you just know that the baby got in there?”
Mum can't help but laugh while hugging Lili and rolling her eyes at dad. He mouths ’sorry’ and mimes shooting himself in the head.
“Oh Lily, well, it is a bit true. I think Daddy is a little confused. He’s right - the mummy and the daddy do have to wish together, very hard,” at this she winks at Dad and smiles flirtatiously, “and if they are lucky then a baby will start to grow in the mummy’s tummy. But I don’t think they have to come from a planet or outer space or anything like that. Maybe Daddy has been watching too much rubbish on the TV?”
“Yes, Daddy, you do watch a lot of rubbish on the TV, that’s true. You have to be very careful what you believe Daddy there’s a lot of nonsense out there, isn’t there, Mummy?” Mum and Dad are both in hysterics while Lili reprimands Dad in such a serious tone.
In the evening, with Lili successfully bathed, read to and now tucked up in bed, Mum and Dad finally have time to themselves.
“You’ve been in a good mood since you came home, love - I take it you had a good time with Jen and Hattie?"
"Well, actually, I didn't see Jen or Hattie today. I had an appointment that I needed to go to," Mum looks sheepish as Dad frowns.
"What appointment? Where?"
"I took a test the other day - the line wasn't clear..."
"Test..?" Dad's confusion starts to dissipate, his frown widens out into happy disbelief.
“I needed the doctor to confirm - I’m eight weeks!"
Lili is full of beans today. Dad is sure she saves up all her energy for when Mum is out.
“Daddy?” She is hopping from foot to foot next to him in the kitchen while he makes (another) coffee, her wonky pigtails flicking wildly.
“What is it, sausage?” He tries to be as enthusiastic as possible, given that she has already asked close to what seems a thousand questions beginning with a long drawn-out ‘daddyyyyyy’ this morning.
“Daddy, where do new babies actually come from and why don’t you and mummy go and get one?” Lili pouts and swings her hips from side to side. She’s very sweet - well, aren’t most four-year-olds? "I want a baby brother or a sister - but more a brother because I think a girl baby might want to use all my things and sometime I don't actually feel like sharing even though sharing is caring."
Dad stops stirring his coffee and smiles to himself. Typical! He gets asked the birds and the bees question while Mum is out, and he has absolutely no idea how to answer his innocent little girl. Has Lili heard them talking? They have discussed the pros and cons of having another child a few times over the past few months. Why has she chosen to ask him right now? What’s the done thing these days? He's caught off guard - mentally prepared for an afternoon of Peppa Pig and (God forbid) glitter, not the intricacies of plausible explanations for the childhood mystery of where babies actually come from. He remembers there was talk of storks and cabbage patches when he was a boy, but surely he didn’t ever believe all that nonsense - hadn’t he always known how babies are made? Deciding this is way too complex an issue to tackle alone, he brushes off the question as best he can.
“Ooh Lily, that’s a brilliant question - so brilliant in fact that I think we should save it for when Mummy comes home!” Dad was impressed with his avoidance and deflection. Parenting pro.
“No, but DADDAY, she’s going to be aaaaages and I want to know about the babies please NOW! not later - Daddy, why won’t you tell me - I don’t want to wait.” Dad sensed a tantrum brewing. Could his parenting skills have already been maxed-out? Could be a problem. Okay - plan B incoming.
“Right, well, babies? So, erm, the babies, the babies all live on a... a planet far far away…”
“No they don’t! They live inside the mummy’s tummies, actually, Daddy. Please don’t lie to me, I’m not silly - you know I'm going to go to big school in Se-tember!”
Lili is a very bright child, always full of questions, absorbing new information with a wide-eyed thirst. So much so that Dad is often overwhelmed by the details his young daughter craves, and he questions his abilities to successfully provide the knowledge she needs. He would usually leave the tricky stuff to Mum - she is so much more adept at navigating what is necessary and appropriate to inject into Lili's young mind. Enough to satisfy them, not too much to swamp them. A tricky balancing act. But the mums talk together about this stuff. They keep abreast of parenting trends, how to answer questions and nurture their children to thrive with healthy bodies and minds. He's been told by Mum not to brush off inquisitiveness or make Lili feel like she's a nuisance. He must provide a response. But what? It's all too much for Dad. He checks his watch. Mum won't be home just yet. It's all on him. Deep breath.
“You’re not silly at all, little Lili! You are a very very clever girl. You’re right - the babies do live inside the mummy’s tummy, but before they get there they start out on a planet that we just see as a star, twinkling away in the sky at night. When the mummy and the daddy really really want a baby, they... they have to wish very hard while looking into the sky - into space, at the planet with the babies on it, it’s called ‘wishing on a star’, and if there’s a baby ready for them, then, then... while the mummy is sleeping, the baby is... is, erm, sent to the mummy, at the speed of light - so fast you can't even see and it lives inside her tummy until it’s big enough to, big enough, erm to, to come out.” Dad has given it his all. Coffee is no longer strong enough this afternoon. Come home quick! He silently implores.
“How? Daddy that’s silly!”
Dad had to admit, it did sound silly. But it's the best he has. He's pretty sure that telling a four year old the realities about how babies are made is not ‘PC’.
“Maybe we can talk to mummy about it when she comes home - she won’t be long,” Dad just wants to drink his coffee and hopefully watch the football, if Lili will let him. He quickly sends Mum a text:
LILI ASKING ABOUT HOW BABIES ARE MADE. TOLD HER THEY COME FROM A PLANET WHEN YOU WISH ON A STAR. PLEASE BACK ME UP WHEN SHE ASKS SHE SMELLS A RAT & I DON’T KNOW WHAT I SHOULD BE TELLING HER! HELP! X
Mum arrives home an hour later. Dad has assumed Lili has forgotten all about where babies come from and is relaxing in front of the TV while his daughter plays with her toys on the floor.
“So, Lili! Have you had a fun time with Daddy today?” Mum shoots dad a smile and an eyebrow rise - she’s testing to see if Lili mentions the babies.
“Mummy!” Lili jumps up and runs over to hug her mum. “Daddy told me babies come from Outers Pace on a planet, and when you wish hard enough on a star, the baby flies through the air at the speed of lightening and lands in the mummy’s tummy. Is that true, mummy? I said it was a silly story and I want you and daddy to get a baby so if it’s true please can you make sure you wish hard enough. Does it hurt when the baby gets into your tummy? Or are you fast asleep and you just wake up with a big tummy and you just know that the baby got in there?”
Mum can't help but laugh while hugging Lili and rolling her eyes at dad. He mouths ’sorry’ and mimes shooting himself in the head.
“Oh Lily, well, it is a bit true. I think Daddy is a little confused. He’s right - the mummy and the daddy do have to wish together, very hard,” at this she winks at Dad and smiles flirtatiously, “and if they are lucky then a baby will start to grow in the mummy’s tummy. But I don’t think they have to come from a planet or outer space or anything like that. Maybe Daddy has been watching too much rubbish on the TV?”
“Yes, Daddy, you do watch a lot of rubbish on the TV, that’s true. You have to be very careful what you believe Daddy there’s a lot of nonsense out there, isn’t there, Mummy?” Mum and Dad are both in hysterics while Lili reprimands Dad in such a serious tone.
In the evening, with Lili successfully bathed, read to and now tucked up in bed, Mum and Dad finally have time to themselves.
“You’ve been in a good mood since you came home, love - I take it you had a good time with Jen and Hattie?"
"Well, actually, I didn't see Jen or Hattie today. I had an appointment that I needed to go to," Mum looks sheepish as Dad frowns.
"What appointment? Where?"
"I took a test the other day - the line wasn't clear..."
"Test..?" Dad's confusion starts to dissipate, his frown widens out into happy disbelief.
“I needed the doctor to confirm - I’m eight weeks!"
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