{"id":3465,"date":"2022-07-03T17:43:49","date_gmt":"2022-07-03T17:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3465"},"modified":"2022-07-03T17:43:49","modified_gmt":"2022-07-03T17:43:49","slug":"bird-and-bees-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/bird-and-bees-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Bird and Bees \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to teach your kids about sex? The classic idiom, \u201cThe birds and the bees<\/em>,\u201d is a great way to introduce them to a topic, with parents using it for the last century to teach their kids about sex. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cbirds and bees<\/em>\u201d is a reference to sexual education. It\u2019s an old saying that came about in the last century.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parents use the \u201cbirds and bees<\/em>\u201d as a cover story for describing the reproductive cycle to their kids. The birds and the bees are pollinators, and they help to bring life to the garden by spreading the pollen from flower to flower.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for parents to use this idiomatic expression to avoid the necessity of speaking to their kids about sex. If a child is very young and asks where babies come from, you might traumatize them by giving them the actual explanation.<\/p>\n

So, using the expression and the story of the birds and bees gives parents a subtle way of explaining the nuances of sex and the reproductive cycle. They don\u2019t have to get graphic, and the child understands the basics of the topic.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cSo kids, the birds and the bees are the reason why we have babies. Ask your parents more about it when you get home, and they\u2019ll tell you the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when we were young, there was no such thing as Pornhub. We had to learn about the birds and the bees from our parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing more embarrassing than when your 6-year-old asks you about the birds and the bees. I didn\u2019t know what to say or how to react.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKids need to learn about the birds and the bees in school., That\u2019s what we pay the school system for, and they should have the right way to present to kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLong gone are the days when kids would learn about the birds and the bees from their parents. Nowadays, kids are learning about trans rights by the time they are in grade school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned about the birds and the bees from our parents, not the teachers at school. Who gave them the right to speak to my kid about these things?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cbirds and bees\u201d originates from the 1920s. The first reference to the birds and bees relating to sex education comes from 1929. A piece in the West Virginia newspaper, \u201cThe Charleston Gazette,\u201d published the saying as follows in November 1929.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never talked about them or even recognized nice crooning little babies until they were already here. Even then, the mothers pretended to be surprised. It [sex] was whispered about but never mentioned in public. Curious and unafraid, we looked into sex and found it perfectly natural, in the flowers and the trees, the birds and the bees.\u201d<\/p>\n