One day, precocious thirty-three-month-old Jamie asked the question many parents dread: “Mom, where do I come from?” Jamie's parents had promised each other that when The Question arose, instead of resorting to the stork story, they would give an accurate recounting. And since Jamie was a boy, they decided his father would be in charge of teaching him the facts of life. With a red face and occasional stammer, Dad began fumbling through the tale of Daddy's seed and Mommy's egg, praying Jamie wouldn't ask exactly how Daddy puts the seed there. Mom listened for a bit, then interrupted. “Jamie, you come from Hawaii,” she said. Jamie nodded and returned his attention to his toy piano.

There are three morals to this story:

• Find out exactly what information your toddler is requesting before trying to answer his question.

• In general, less information is better. Let toddlers ask if they want to know more.

• Don't overwhelm either of you by serving up more information than your tyke is ready to hear.