“The birds and the bees” vs. “Where Did I Come From”
Having given birth to my four babies in the 1960s, and at the tail end of the Doctor Spock “Baby and Child Care” era, I decided early on that there were certain things in life that I wanted my children to learn directly from me, and in the comfort and safe environs of our home. Having been raised Catholic and educated by Nuns, by the time I became a mother, I had dismissed the rigid teachings and dogma of the Catholic Church and I was determined to respect my children’s natural curiosity and their age-appropriate questions about the human body. So, in 1973, when the book, “Where Did I Come From?: An Illustrated Children’s Book on Human Sexuality” was published, I was among countless millions of parents who purchased it immediately and I began sharing it with my children. This bestseller was not the traditional “the birds and the bees” nonsense of generations past. It responded to age-old questions and was enhanced by humorous illustrations that appealed to children. As expected, however, certain older members in my family expressed strong disapproval of the book, and they were not alone. Widespread disapproval of the subject matter permeated national news media and airwaves but did very little to prevent its tremendous popularity. And in December 2022, the 50th Anniversary edition of the book was published to worldwide acclaim. If this one winds up on the banned book list, I dare say there will be a thundering herd of 1960s parents still praising the book and raising Hell.
