Update: Melissa Etheridge on answering those tricky questions kids ask

Update: Tammy has shared that Melissa was misquoted.

I found theheadline online easily enough…and sure enough…screaming from oceanto ocean…bullshit. I called [Melissa] right away. "Did you say this? That he asked you about a threesome, and you let me explain it??" Icouldn’t imagine honey having said that so off-handedly, "Oh, golly, heasked about a threesome, Ms. interviewer! Oh, hawhaw! Guffaw! Guffaw!" And I sure as hell didn’t remember EVER explaining a threesome tohim.

[Melissa] confirms my suspicions. "I NEVER said that!" Herthroaty voice raising an octave, making it almost as high as mine."That is such a misquote! I was so so misquoted! I didn’t say that atall!"

And so it goes. And should he ask, how would it beexplained? "Ah, it’s a song about wanting more than one girlfriend orboyfriend," but from the looks of that article (that is now being sentall over the globe and back), it seems that our son asked a questionspecifically about threesomes, and I gave him the details on group sex. Nope. Didn’t happen.

Seriously. Misquoting just sucks. I don’tknow if they think it makes the article more exciting or what…but sooften the "grabbing headlines" are not true. The reporters today aremore fiction writers. I know that is one reason I started this blog — tosay what I need to say…from the horse’s mouth and all…not throughthe grapevine of gossips…the TRUTH.

Click below for the original post.

Originally posted October 1st: Singer Melissa Etheridge, 46, recently spoke to OK! Magazine about the difficulties that arise when children ask interesting questions. Melissa’s two older children, Bailey Jean, 10, and Beckett, 8, asked, ‘Mom, what’s a threesome?‘ (The word is a new song title of Melissa’s.)

When it comes to answering these sensitive questions, Melissa says that this is where she looks to wife Tammy Lynn, 32, to step in. She says:

Tammyexplained it them. We hide too much stuff anyway, just be honest withkids. She has infinite love for myself and the kids. I laugh everysingle day.

Bailey Jean and Beckett are Melissa’s children with former partner, Julie Cypher. Melissa and Tammy are also parents to twins Miller Steven and Johnnie Rose, 11 months.

Source: OK!

What kinds of interesting questions have your children asked? How do you handle sensitive topics?

Comments

What’s a threesome? An 8 and 10 year old actually asked that?! Wow

- Nikki on October 1st, 2007

If your 8-year-old is asking THAT question, then you need to figure out where they’re learning that stuff and cut out the source.

Seriously. Eight-year-olds will ask about sex and babies and stuff like that, but when they start venturing into XXX territory before they’ve mastered long division, something is desperately wrong.

Sarah’s note: It’s the name of Melissa’s new song, so I assume they just heard it either on the CD or with talk about the album around the house…? Or I hope, anyway.

- Stef on October 1st, 2007

That is disgusting!! What is wrong with this world. First of all, what kind of crap are they exposing their kids to, that at 8 years old he would even know about a threesome? Further more, what kind of mom would explain it to him? That is Ridiculous!

- Anonymous on October 1st, 2007

I tell ya, things kids pick up on.

I think the most interesting question I got was from a 5 year old charge I had. She looked at me one day and asked, “Do you have a husband? Do you have a boyfriend? Do you have a girlfriend?”. I stopped dead in my tracks on that question haha. I just looked at her and said that I only like boys and that because I wasn’t currently seeing anyone at the time that it didn’t mean I liked girls. She just said, “Okay” and went about her merry way. I never expected that question to come from a 5 year old.

- Harley on October 1st, 2007

A friend’s 8 year old son had picked up on the fact that I bought a condo with my boyfriend. They had visited and apparently he noticed that it is a one bedroom condo. He randomly said one day, while we were driving in the car “you aren’t married but you sleep in the same bed with him because you love him, right?” All I could say was “ummm…..yes.”

- Jenny on October 1st, 2007

Last night my 6-year old became aquainted with the differing anatomy between girls and boys. While my 1-year old nephew was getting a diaper change, she came over and said, “What’s that red bump?” My husband told her that it was his penis. “I know what a penis is, Dad. What’s that red bump underneath it?” We had no idea how to explain that one to her. We thought we were doing good in explaining the penis.

- Dana on October 1st, 2007

My ten year old brother googld “sex” a few weeks ago. As the computer is in a thoroughfare in the loungeroom he was spotted as soon as he did it. His mum handled that one, but I got to have a chat with my 13yo brother about the fact that just because he’s discovering these sorts of things, and chatting about it with his mates, doesn’t mean that his younger brother is old enough. Yes, we know you’d like to have someone to talk to about it, but you can always come to the older siblings, etc, etc.

- Lilybett on October 1st, 2007

Oh my. I guess it’s okay for the kids to ask these questions, even though I think that it’s XXXXXXXXXXX stuff, it’s their kids. But seriously. I think they shouldn’t have told them what it actually is! Kids get enough of that stuff already. So sad.

- Liz on October 1st, 2007

Liz, we don’t know exactly what they told their children.I think it’s better for kids to hear stuff from their parents when they have questions like that then friends or searching through the internet.Also, kids aren’t stupid and as much as you try to keep things from their hearing..they will hear it anyway.

- Renee on October 2nd, 2007

I know I’m going to be in the minority but I just so wish we lived in a world where we didn’t have to be explaining these things to our children quite so early.

- cindy on October 2nd, 2007

The Only thing senstive I have had to talk about with one of my kids is Death I had to explain it to my eldest son when he was 5 my grandmother whom both my kids were very close to when she died I old him that Nana went to heaven and then all was ok for about 18 months, and then one day the poor kid asks me when is Nana coming back from heaven Mummy I miss her, I had never been more grateful for Dr Phil he said that day to give an age aparent explenations for anything serious, so I told him that once God calls to you to heaven you cant come back but she is always in our hearts, the whole time with tears streaming down my face, I found that being honest with him was the best thing even though he finds it hard even now to deal with the idea that people do die and they dont come back from heaven

- mrsgrugsplat on October 2nd, 2007

Cindy – I’ll join you in the minority! I think it’s sad that an 8-year-old is asking this question (and even more sad that his mom has a song with this title).

- Stephany on October 2nd, 2007

The only thing ever needed explanation was where my grandmother was to my 3 (now 3 1/2) year old nephew. She passed away last January. He’d asked a few times where his granny was and at first I just said she’d gone to be with other relatives and my mother went on to say she was on a long trip (to heaven). He just asked if she was scared and my mom said she wasn’t, and he’s been fine with that answer since then.

- FC on October 2nd, 2007

I agree that it is sad when a child asks what a threesome is… and the discussion should have been between Melissa, Julie and their child… they act like Julie is not the mom.. she is..Dr.Phil makes that clear.. a step parent needs to be a step parent.. why don’t we ever hear about Julie? Melissa acts like Bailey and Beckett are her and her new partners kids… um.. they have a mom named Julie… so sad for those kids!

- Tracy Kozitka on October 2nd, 2007

Just FYI–on Tammy’s blog, she explains that Melissa was misquoted and that their son did not actually ask what a threesome was (and they wouldn’t have explained it to him had he asked).

- ella on October 8th, 2007

I’m so glad this has been cleared up

- Renee on October 9th, 2007

IMO discussion of group sex with an eight year old would be highly inappropriate.
To be honest I am surprised people actually believed this was ever said by Melissa Etheridge. What a serious misquote.
Tammy Etheridge does make me smile with the way she hits back on her blog.

- Jen on October 9th, 2007

thank goodness

- Campbell on October 9th, 2007