Although being a parent is the most wonderful blessing in the world, it does include a few hard times. Children go off to school, they get scraped knees, and they get broken hearts. All these situations are difficult for parents to handle. Another situation that is tough for parents to handle is telling their children where babies come from. Fertilization is a miracle, and although we do not have to go into detail with our children, it is very interesting to know how it all begins. Fertilization begins with a sperm and an egg. Here is a short story of how they meet.
SAMMY
Once upon a time in a far away land called Testicles, Sammy sperm was born. He was born as a small cell in the male body through tubes called seminiferous tubules. During puberty in a young man, these small cells changed themselves until they look like little tadpoles. When the young man hits his sexual maturity, Sammy uses his tail to push himself into the next town called Epididymis where he completes his development. This takes about four to six weeks to complete the trip (KidsHealth.org, 2009). Epididymis is connected to another town called Vas Deferens. It is here that Sammy learns his purpose in life. He learns that there is an outside world surrounding him. His purpose in life is to mix with some white fluid produced by his next door neighbors called the seminal vesicles and the prostate gland. Together, they are supposed to fertilize some “pretty ladies” in the nearby community. Sammy learns that he is surrounded by a sac called the scrotum. This scrotum is a flexible sac connected to a long muscle called the penis. After about 10-14 years, Sammy notices that this penis is surrounded by tissues which fill with blood when the male becomes sexually excited. Each time this happens, about 500 million of Sperm and the Egg 3
Sammy’s friends are pushed out of the penis through a small opening called the urethra. He always wondered what that light was. Sammy’s friends let him know that it is his turn to be ejaculated. He is so curious to see where he is going.
EMMA
In a nearby community, Emma the Egg is born. She has remained un-active until puberty starts in the female body. She and about 400,000 of her friends and relatives reside in a town called the Ovaries (Rathus, Nevid, and Fichner-Rathus, 2005). About 10-14 years after being dormant, Emma learns of her purpose. Once the woman becomes sexually mature, Emma learns that the young woman has something called a menstrual cycle every 28 days. During this process, one of her friends is released down the fallopian tubes of the woman. If a female and a male engage in sexual intercourse within several days of the female’s ovulation, or egg release, fertilization can occur (KidsHealth.org, 2009). Unless this egg, or oocyte, is fertilized while in this tube, the egg dries up and leaves the body about two weeks later through the uterus. This is called menstruation. Blood and tissue from the inner lining of the uterus combine to form this menstrual flow (KidsHealth.org, 2009). Emma finally learns that next month, it is her turn to try to be fertilized.
FERTILIZATION
After Sammy is ejaculated through the male urethra, his friends tell him he is now in a community called the Vagina. While in the vagina, Sammy notices that way back in the neck is a knob about the size of a straw opening. His friends tell him that is the cervix, and they must pass through there to find his egg. Sammy makes his way through the uterus to meet his match in the Sperm and the Egg 4 fallopian tube. About a week later, the sperm fertilizes the egg, and she becomes a zygote. About eight weeks after being fertilized the zygote becomes an embryo. At nine weeks the embryo becomes a fetus. It only takes one sperm to fertilize and egg. Sammy and Emma have just made a baby.
CONCLUSION
Telling our children about where babies come from can be a chore in itself. Most parents believe that the story of the birds and the bees is the best approach. Others like the stork story. Whatever route that is taken, the stories are not easy. We want to keep our children safe. We want to keep our children sheltered. We want to keep our children pure. However, the Lord made reproduction a very beautiful thing. In fact, without fertilization, none of us would exist. The easiest approach when telling our children about babies is the truth. The truth of the matter is all creatures can make babies. However, in order to produce a baby, a sperm and an egg must meet.