Celibacy in marriage

fertilisation

A conversation with Ben…

B – Mummy, have two cousins ever got married?

Me – Yes, a cousin is the closest family member you can legally marry.

B – Why can’t brothers and sisters get married?

Me – Because if they had children there’s a strong possibility their children would be very disabled. The fact that their parents’ genes are so similar would mean any problem genes would be multiplied in the children.

B – That’s only if they have sex though. Married people don’t have sex do they?

Me – (stunned silence) Well yes, how do you think they have children?

B – Well I wouldn’t want to marry my sister anyway (sticks out tongue at sister across the table)

I think it might be time for a little chat about the relationship aspect of procreation.

But that would probably involve more discussion about why anybody would want do anything “so disgusting” and how you make the sperm come out – two issues I’m not sure he’s ready to understand just yet.

About Beta Mum

Here you can find the ramblings of a trapeze artist turned journalist who ran away from the circus to join the BBC. Cathy "mine's a Kir Royale" Keir then spent thirteen years working in Jersey, Guernsey and Devon, before downgrading to what you see before you. She has contributed articles to The Guardian, The Stage and Television Today, Junior Magazine and both the BBC and Bad Mothers Club websites. She has two children who think women can’t be prime ministers. She blames herself.
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7 Responses to Celibacy in marriage

  1. Go on have the “disgusting” sex talk between moms & dads I dare you! lol
    Just wait till he asks about ummmmmm special “trouser kisses” though.

    Thanks for dropping by my site & good luck!

  2. Mopsa says:

    I’m having a love-in with Georgette Heyer at the moment, having somehow passed her by in teenagehood. All her first cousins get married and I just think “euch!”. I had a look at this http://www.weddings.co.uk/info/legproh.htm and couldn’t make head or tail of it.

  3. Great stuff. I’m not looking forward to the sex talk with my 2.5 year old Our biggest issue at the momenis that my partner has referred to the sprogs penis as a cock a couple of times last weekend (even though we have agreed betweeen us that willy is the acceptable term!) and this morning he said loudly ‘This is my cock!’ We swifly said no willy. To no avail. I dread to think what his nursery thinks of us today.

  4. Beta Mum says:

    Amanda – I don’t want to encourage any kind of trouser-kiss type discussion. I leave that for him to have with other consenting eight-year olds.

    Mopsa – that’s a really interesting list. So Woody Allen wouldn’t have been able to marry Soon-Yi if they’d been living in the UK…

    Scruff – Oh dear, that will raise a few eyebrows! When Ben was about 18 months-2 years we heard him say very clearly “fock-in-hell” a few times before we realised he was listening even when we thought he wasn’t. I’ve since taken up Famous Five type swearing. Mike hasn’t been quite so careful.

  5. So it gets loads easier as they get older, then? :)

  6. Beta Mum says:

    MatL – less bum-wiping, more brain-scrambling cross-questioning

    M&M – you can laugh, horses are more amenable as far as sex education goes!

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