How Are Babies Made?

‘‘ Daddy, please tell me a story. I wont sleep till then” said five year old Aadhya.” Mom always tells me a story”.

Rohan looked at his pretty girl and smiled. She was stubborn like her mother. With pretty eyes and a cute smile, she could make any person’s heart melt. His wife Roma, told her a story every night. And Rohan enjoyed her stories immensly, Roma was out of station on business for five days. He missed her already.

“Daddy doesn’t know any stories Adu, shall I read something?’’

“No! Mom said that you used to tell her awesome stories!!”

Rohan wondered whether his daughter knew the meaning of the word “awesome”. She had an astonishingly good vocabulary for a five year old girl. Both he and Roma preferred keeping Aadhya away from video games and television. They let her watch an occasional cartoon on Sundays but otherwise they kept her away from the idiot box. He loved pampering his daughter , but when it came to discipline, he stuck to it.

“Dad, I want to know how babies are born.”

Rohan was shocked at first and then started laughing. He wished his wife was there to answer the question. It took him back ten years in time. The time when Roma and he used to discuss the mating of insects, birds and all animals in general. He missed those days when he had his wife all to himself. But after the arrival of their little princess, they spent very little time together.

‘’Dad please, I want to know”

“OK Aadhya, I will tell you. But you have to go to bed as soon as I am done.”

Aadhya looked at him and smiled nodding her head.

“ Babies are born after Mama and Papa are married” said Rohan.

‘’But how???” asked Aadhya.

Rohan wanted to call Roma and ask her how to answer Aadhya’s question. But he had proudly told her that he would happily take care of Aadhya. And he did not want Roma to start laughing at him.

‘’ When mama and papa hug each other they make a baby. And the baby comes out of mama’s stomach after 9 months.”

Suddenly Aadhya started crying. Rohan didn’t know what to do. He picked her up and tried to calm her down.

“What is wrong Adu? Are you missing Mama??.”

Aadhya started howling on top of her voice. Rohan asked her what happened. Finally she calmed down and told him, “Dad, Mohit from school hugged me on my birthday. Now I am going to have a baby too!!”

Rohan burst out laughing. It was time to call his wife for suggestions. She had better be there the next time Aadhya asked about birds and bees.