worms

I am never prepared for the conversations I have with my very grown up 5 year old, Zander.  Today at lunch we were talking about the worms they found earlier that morning.  The boys began to argue back and forth about the sex of a specific worm.  The largest fattest worm of the bunch.  Zander said it was a male because it was so big....Gavin said a female (fat and pregnant). 

They turned to me for the answer.  I don't like to just tell my kids what to believe and encourage them to find out for themselves...with every aspect of life....so I thought we would figure it out together.  We turned to google for the answer.  Here's what we read, "Worms are Hermaphrodites.  That means that each worm has male and female sex organs." 

I knew the answer to the question but had NO CLUE where our conversation was headed....

"Hmmm...Hermaphrodite?"  Zander said it over and over making sure he got the pronunciation correct.  The idea of something being both a girl and boy intrigued him....and cracked him up at the same time.

"Mom, can people be a hermaphrodite?" he asked me.

Uh-oh.  What should I tell him?!  Truth is best, right?

"Yes son.  There are some people born with both women and men parts." 

This sent him rolling on the floor with laughter.

I tried my best to explain to him that the way people are born is no laughing matter, hermaphrodites couldn't help the way they were born just like he couldn't help it if he has brown hair.  Thankfully he accepted this and stopped calling his little brother a hermaphrodite.

He begged me to look up pictures online and show him.  I refused, scared of the images I'd find if I googled the word. 

I am certain this conversation will backfire one day and he will ask a stranger at the the grocery store if they are a hermaphrodite.  Mark my words, he will not forget the word and embarrass the hell out of me.