As a matter of Fact ...

There are just some things a mother doesn't blog about.

I have to plead the fifth and respect my daughter's privacy and just keep my mouth shut. Suffice it to say, my kids are growing up and there's not a darn thing I can do to prevent it.

Nor would I want to! I love the fact that my kids are growing up and changing and taking on more responsibilities and surpassing all the joys and traumas that come with age...

(...and puberty!) See, if I type in really small print, it doesn't count. I haven't given anything away, have I? I mean, it's not like I announced that "Aunt Flo" has come for a visit, or it's time to stock up on "party supplies". Right? Nobody reads the small print on anything anyway...

So, let's talk about something else....

We've had our share of "The Talk" at our house, in order that lovely, life-altering rites of passage won't come as a surprise to any of our daughters. It cracks me up, though, how many euphemisms people create for human anatomy. Or natural bodily functions and fluids. Or lovely, life-altering rites of passage.

The Quackenbush household does not operate in code. I much prefer to shoot straight from the hip, and tell it like it is. TACTFULLY, of course, giving all of the above its proper respect and practical usage. We tend to water it down for three-year-olds, and even nine-year-olds, but for the most part, we have a well-educated group of progeny that are prepared for what life has to throw at them.

People ask me all the time, 'How can you talk about that so easily? Isn't it embarrassing?' Not really, and it's all thanks to Roy. Having grown up with three brothers and no sisters, there were certain aspects of the facts of life that were casually omitted, but Roy grew up with an open and inquisitive mind. Believe it or not, he never figured out the Whole Story until he went on a road trip to attend the wedding of one of his college buddies shortly after he returned from his mission. At one point on the road trip, he ended up in a car full of girls, and inevitably, certain euphemisms began working their way into the flow of conversation (no pun intended), and Roy couldn't resist piping up and asking, "What are you talking about?"

I will be forever grateful to those girls, whoever they are. He got an earful on that trip, and because he was just "one of the guys", he took it in his stride and didn't get embarrassed at all. It was just a part of life to him, and it made perfect sense, so what was all the fuss about?

And this is how we've raised our daughters. Be honest and open (within reason and maturity level, of course), and your children will appreciate you for it.