How do you explain the birds and the bees to a child as my cousin has just turned 12 & started asking me?

I explained to my ten year old a month ago.


I sat her down and gave her the facts in a straight forward way. Mentioned love, pleasure, babies and being careful.


Afterwards I said she could always ask if she needed to know more and she had one question:


Where do the birds and bees come in to it?How do you explain the birds and the bees to a child as my cousin has just turned 12 %26amp; started asking me?
My wife bought a book for my 10 yr old son, which shows all the shpaes, sizes and bits of both males and females, where if you're old enough and mature enough you read and absorb.


My 10yr old was embarrassed and put the book aside, but my 5 yr old daughter thought it was really interesting and she now knows how to make a baby !How do you explain the birds and the bees to a child as my cousin has just turned 12 %26amp; started asking me?
Tell your cousin everything. If you don't s/he will look for the wrong answer somewhere else. Also mention it to your aunt and uncle. I personally think they should have had this conversation with your cousin a lot earlier than 12.
Not at 12 it's too young
I think many people suffer because adults dont respect the straight questions a child has, which just need a straight answer. Get a good book and if his parents agree go through it with him/her, or ask his/her parents to do this. Out in the open is my motto, but be sensitive and caring.
never understood it myself, surely the bird would get stung
These days, 12 does seem a little late to begin asking questions. My daughter is only 7 and has already picked up bits and bobs of information about 'where the babies come from'! I don't think that there is a particular age and that we, as adults, should answer a child's questions with straightforward, truthful answers.





In this case though, I would say that you should speak with your Aunt or Uncle because they may want to tell your cousin about it in a different way. I agree with someone else who said, they should have already told him/her about these things already!
Get him some porn.
It is the responsibility of your Uncle and Aunt to be the one to explain it. If your cousin asks you, let your Aunt and Uncle know that questions are being asked. That would be the right thing to do, and not take the responsibility upon yourself.
Be honest and answer anything they ask without making a big issue out of it....its a shame its still such a taboo subject...12 is a little late to start asking (they probably already know some jumbled facts from friends)


start by using the correct terminology,never did quite understand the birds and bees description?
well kiddo, some birds like bees, some bees like birds, other birds fly after birds, some bees buzz for other bees, then there are those bees that buzz for bees and birds, and birds that fly for both bees and birds... then there are birds that get changed to bees so they can buzz and there are some bees that get transformed into birds so they can fly...
you could beat around the bush, and get yourself in a right pickle , or do your homework, learn the facts, get hold of some diagrams (decent ones) and give it to them straight.





failing that, tell them to ask mummy or daddy, but your turn will come one day!
Well they both have wings but one has feathers and the other has short hairs.
Ur cousion should have done sex education at primary schhol when he was 11.
Are there not books on that sort of thing aimed at pre-teens? Probably worth talking it through with your aunt first though - you wouldn't wish to overstep the mark.
tell him to go ask his mom/dad





if you tell him something that his parents don't want him to know they could get really mad