Where did I come from?

No, this isn't a post designed to answer all your questions about life's mysteries like, "Who am I?, Where did I come from?, and Where am I going?", but I do know the answers to those questions and would love to talk to you about it at another time. This post is about talking to my kids about, shhhh "sex"!!!
Years ago a friend of mine tipped me off on how she brings up this taboo topic with her kids. My friend is the mother of six, and I value her opinion immensely. She recommended the book "Where did I come from?" by Peter Mayle. This book was copyrighted in 1977 and first printed in 1987, so it has been around for a long time. She also said that she gave her kids the "talk" when they turned 8, and had reached what we mormons call, the age of accountability, or the age at which you could distinguish between reality and fiction, and right and wrong. So, I decided that I would too talk to my kids, each individually, as they reached the age of 8.
Well, Erin just turned 8 in August, and so the appointed time had arrived to talk to her about sex. Over the years, I have always wondered if 8 was really too young, but Erin has been peppering Bill and I with all sorts of questions, so I purchased the book and we had the talk. While I am open about talking on the topic of sex with her, I will not share with you details of our conversation. I just thought I would pass along the information about the book and what we did. In hind sight, I am grateful to have crossed the hurdle of introducing her to the facts.
The book has cartoon illustrations, that are done tastefully. It is age appropriate, but it doesn't beat around the bush. It just tells it like it is. I, and Bill too, are hoping to open channels of communication with our children at any early age. We hope that, in the future, if more questions arise, and we all know they will, that our kids will know they can ask us, and expect and honest answer in return.
Some of you will nod your heads in agreement with our decision, while others will be appalled or offended that we have taught her such "grown-up" things at such a young age. Think what you want, we all have the right to do so. I, for one, am not willing for someone else to give her information that I don't agree with, think is wrong, or wait until the time is long past to educate her before crucial decisions are made with long reaching consequences.
I hope that this will be the first of many conversations that we have together about sex and a host of other topics. I am sure as she grows up and interacts with the world around her that more questions will arise. I look forward to explaining to her the truth, both physically and spiritually, and then watching to see what she does with the information. In the end, the choice is hers, but at least she can make her decisions based on accurate information.