Merciful 1/Merciful - Disc 1.iso/software/b/birds_&_bees/bird&bee's.dms/bird&bee's.adf/qa1.boy

Text File | 1986-06-21 | 9KB | 364 lines

1   Why do girls pee sitting down?

    Girls urinate sitting down because
the place where their urine comes out
(the urethra) is very short. They can-
not aim the flow of their urine like
you can.


1   Why don't girls have a penis?

    They were born that way. You don't
have a vulva and vagina. Boys and girls
are made differently both inside and
outside. This is just one of the dif-
ferences.


1   Why do grown women have breasts?

    The breasts must be able to hold
milk, so that the mother can feed her
baby. As a girl gets older and matures,
her breasts will start to develop.
Since young girls and males cannot be
mothers, they don't need breasts.


1   Why do pregnant women look fat?

    They are not really fat. Their
uterus has expanded to allow the baby
room to grow. This may be a very uncom-
fortable period for the future mother.


1   If a woman is very fat, does that
mean she is going to have a baby?

    Women who are about to have a baby
look fat because the baby is taking up
so much room in their uterus. This is
different from women who are
overweight.


1   How old does a girl have to be to
have a baby?

    As soon as a girl begins to have
periods (menstruation), her body is
ready to have a baby. Usually, her body
is able to have a baby long before she
will want one. Caring for a baby is a
lot of responsibility.


1   Why can't boys have babies?

    Boys and men do not have anywhere
for a baby to grow. Remember that boys
and girls are made differently inside
and outside. Only females have a uterus
for babies to grow, and a vagina for
them to come out.


1   What are my private parts?

    Your private parts are those areas
which a bathing suit covers up. The
places between your legs (your geni-
tals) are private. Also, a girl's
breasts are private.


1   Is it bad to touch my private
parts?

    No, it is not bad. You may touch
your body anywhere you like, because it
is your own body. Touching your private
parts is something you should do alone,
though, just like you use the toilet
alone.


1   Is it OK for other people to touch
my private parts?

    No, it is not OK for anyone but you
or your doctor to touch your private
parts. It is not right for anyone to
touch you anywhere unless you want them
to. Your body is your own.


1   Why would anyone else want to
touch my private parts?

    People often get pleasure from
touching other people's bodies. That is
OK if the other person likes it too --
like when your Mom or Dad hugs and kis-
ses you. Strangers, however, have no
right to touch or hold you like that.


1   Is it a good idea to avoid
strangers?

    Yes. Always try to play around
other people that you know. Never go
for a walk or ride with someone you
don't know well. Never take a present
from someone you don't know -- it could
be a trick.


1   Will all strangers try to trick me
and do nasty things to me?

    No, not all strangers -- but if we
don't know someone, how do we know if
that person is good, or one of those
sick people who will try to harm us? It
is better to play it safe and avoid all
strangers.


1   Where did I come from?

    You started from an egg in your
mother that was joined by a seed called
a "sperm" from your father. You grew
inside your mother until it was time to
be born.


1   How did I breathe when I was
inside my mother's belly?

    You weren't in the belly and you
didn't have to breathe. The unborn baby
grows in the uterus where it gets
everything it needs from the mother
through the umbilical cord.


1   How does a baby get in the
mother's tummy?

    There is a place inside all women
called the uterus where babies grow. A
baby gets started when an egg from the
mother is joined by the sperm from the
father. It grows in the mother's uterus
until it is time to be born.


1   How do the father's sperm and the
mother's egg join together?

    The father releases the sperm into
the mother's body by placing his penis
inside her vagina. This is called sex-
ual intercourse. You will learn more
about this when you are older.


1   What happens if the egg does not
get fertilized?

    The unfertilized egg has no purpose
and the female will get rid of it. This
is one reason that women have periods
("menstruate") -- to wash out the un-
fertilized eggs.


1   What happens if the egg gets ferti-
lized?

    It moves into the womb or uterus,
where it will grow and develop for
around nine months when it will be
ready to be born.


1   Can I watch someone making a baby?

    No. This is something grownups do
in private because it is very special
to them. There are things you do in
private, too. Everyone needs private
time.


1   How does the baby know when to come
out?

    From the time of conception (when
the sperm and egg meet) to the time of
birth is about 9 months. It takes that
long for the baby to grow and develop
enough so that it can live on its own.


1   How does the baby get out of the
mother?

    When it is time for a baby to be
born, it comes out an opening between
the mother's legs called the vagina.


1   What does the father do during the
birth (delivery)?

    There is nothing that the father
must do (he may not even be there).
Most fathers, however, want to help the
mother by offering support and encou-
ragement during the sometimes painful
delivery process.


1   What does the doctor do during the
delivery?

    The doctor helps to make sure that
the baby comes out OK. It is fairly
common for the mother to need help in
delivering the baby. There is also the
possibility that the newborn will need
medical attention.


1   What does the nurse do at the deli-
very?

    The nurse will help the doctor by
cutting the umbilical cord. The nurse
will also clean off the baby and give
it to the mother and father to hold.


1   Do all babies have a mother and a
father?

    Yes. To start a baby, there must be
an egg from the mother and a sperm from
the father.


1   Can a mother and a father make a
baby any time they want to?

    No. A woman does not always have an
egg ready to be fertilized. Even when
she does, not all sperm are able to
fertilize the egg. Remember too that
even if they do conceive, it will take
nine months before the baby is born.


1   Can a man and woman decide to have
a boy or a girl if they know what they
want?

    No, the sex of the baby is a matter
of luck -- there is nothing they can do
about it.


1   Why do some families have twins?

    Twins are two children born almost
together. This does not happen very
often. Sometimes they will look just
like each other, and sometimes they may
not even be the same sex. If three
babies are born at the same time we
call them triplets.


1   Can a man and woman decide to have
twins if they know they want two
babies?

    No, making twins is not something
that can be controlled or predicted.
However, having twins runs in some fa-
milies (meaning that if your parents or
grandparents were twins, you have a
better chance of having twins).


1    How come some twins look almost
exactly alike, and other twins don't
even look like they are related?

    Twins are formed in two ways. Some
twins (called identical -- the ones
that look alike) came from the same
sperm and egg. Other twins (called fra-
ternal) are just two babies that were
conceived and born at the same time.


1Are there many mothers and fathers that
can't make a baby?

    Yes, this is fairly common. There
are many women who cannot have their
eggs fertilized, and many men whose
sperm are not able to fertilize eggs.
Sometimes a doctor can find a way to
help them. If not, they might adopt a
baby.


1   What is an adopted child?

    An adopted child is one who is
living with parents that are not the
mother and father that created him (or
her). For some reason the child's natu-
ral (or biological) parents were not
able to take care of him (or her).


1   What is a foster child?

    A foster child, like an adopted
child, is not living with his biologi-
cal parents. Being a foster child, how-
ever, is a temporary situation. The
child may go back to his original par-
ents or be adopted by new parents.


1   Does an adopted baby have parents?

    An adopted baby had parents who got
it started (conceived) and born. But
these parents died or went away, so
some new parents have now adopted it as
their own child. These new parents love
the baby just as much as if they start-
ed it themselves.


1   If a mother and father adopted a
baby, does this mean they can't have
babies on their own?
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    Sometimes parents who adopt babies
cannot start and grow their own babies.
But there are also mothers and fathers
who love babies so much that they adopt
babies who don't have parents any more.
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