The First Children’s Questions and Parents’ Answers Regording the Bitrh of Babies

The article summarizes the results of a research concerning the first children’s questions about the birth of babies and brings the conclusions corresponding to the cornposition of the group of children and parents involved in the research. The research was carried out in crèches and kindergardens. The children in our group asked the greatest number of these questions (36,7 °/o) between the age of three and four. 20,4 % of the children asked the questions before they were three years old, 27,6 % of the children between the age of four and five and the rest between the age of five and six. The method used made it impossible to find out how many children of pre-school age do not ask these questions at all. It was surprising to find that the story about ≫the stork bringing babies≪ has disappeared from the parents' answers. Most parents, however, put the youngest children off by telling them a story about ≫buying babies in a maternity home≪. A third of the parents make use of the mother's new pregnancy for fostering an emotional relationship to a future brother or sister by giving the truthful information. The research analyses all the questions asked, and the answers are quoted in connection with the ethical education, of which they should form a part.