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

Text File | 1986-06-21 | 10KB | 399 lines

1   Why do boys pee standing up?

    Boys can urinate, or pee, standing
up because they have a penis which al-
lows them to direct the flow of their
urine. If they want to, they can also
urinate sitting down.


1   Why can't I pee standing up?

    Girls usually urinate, or pee, sit-
ting down because the place where their
urine comes out (the urethra) is very
short. You cannot aim the flow of urine
like boys can.


1   Why don't I have a penis?

    Girls don't have a penis. Instead,
you have a vulva and vagina. Boys and
girls are made differently both inside
and outside. This is one of the differ-
ences.


1   Why am I a girl?

    This was decided at the time of
conception (when your mother first be-
came pregnant). It was decided by your
father's genes and chromosomes, which
you will learn about when you are
older.


1   Will I have breasts when I get
older?

    Yes. As you get older and mature,
your breasts will start to develop.
Women develop breasts that can produce
milk so they can feed newborn babies.
Since young girls and males cannot be
mothers, they don't need developed
breasts.


1   Why do pregnant women look fat?

    They are not really fat. Their
uterus has expanded to allow the baby
room to grow .


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   When can I have a baby?

    As soon as you begin to have
periods (menstruate), your body is
ready to have a baby. It will probably
be many years before you decide you
should have 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
area between your legs (your vulva and
vagina) are private. Also, your breasts
are private parts.


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.


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
kisses 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 (or womb) 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 and ejaculating. This
is called sexual intercourse. You will
learn more about this when you are
older.


1   Do all my mother's eggs get
fertilized?

    No. This only happens sometimes.
That is why women are not always
pregnant.


1   What happens if the egg does not
get fertilized?

    The unfertilized egg has no purpose
and will be disposed of by the female.
This is the reason that women have per-
iods (menstruate) -- to wash out the
unfertilized eggs.


1   What happens if the egg gets
fertilized?

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


1   Can I watch someone making a baby?

    No. This is something grown-ups 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 nine months. It takes
that long for the baby to grow and de-
velop 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
delivery?

    The nurse will help the doctor, by
helping to cut 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. They are called the natural
or biological parents. We also call
adults that raise a child the mother
and 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. The genes and chromosomes
found in the sperm decide this. You
will learn more about chromosomes when
you are older.


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
families (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.


1   Are there some 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
natural (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 bio-
logical parents. Being a foster child,
however, 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 the
child as their own. These new parents
will love the baby just as much as if
they created 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.
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