So, my daughter is hatching chicks at preschool. She’s patiently been watching the eggs in the incubator for the last 21 days, waiting for the chick to emerge. Last night, while brushing her teeth, she told me all about the chicks’ egg tooth. Apparently, the egg tooth on the chick is really on the beak, and it is what the chick uses to crack the egg. This crack appeared in the egg while she was at school. Once cracked, the chick takes time to slowly push out of the egg over the next day. My daughter was looking forward to seeing the emerged chick and broken shell next time she entered the classroom.
I could see the wheels spinning in her head as she processed her next question. “Mom, did I have an egg tooth?” Before I could answer, she followed up, “Mom, did I crack you?” Quickly followed by, “Mom, did I BREAK you?” Quickly followed by, “How did I get out?”
Now, of course I would not tell a 4-year-old about the perils of birth trauma, the horrific birth experience I endured, or my battered and broken body. I’m not even ready to tell her about how babies are born without any trauma. So, instead I said, “I love you. Of course you didn’t break me like a chicken shell. It’s time for bed.”
Like most 4 year olds, this redirection of conversation worked just fine, for now. Eventually, I’ll tell her how babies are born, and much, much, much later, about birth trauma.
Right now, it’s fine with me if her understanding is limited to her egg tooth.
Thanks for reading,
Lauren
