They are generally limited to cartoons or Disney movies. But there are occasions where they catch glimpses of the shows I'm watching, often news or political commentary.

Some days, I feel that my biggest challenges involve explaining "the real world" to them. Last week they saw glimpses of the news containing details about the whale who killed a trainer at Sea World. I thought it would be easy to explain to two 5-year-olds that they don't have to be afraid of killer whales.

Not exactly. First, I had to explain that killer whales don't live at the beaches that we visit in Ocean City or the Outer Banks. (I'm not sure they believe me on that.)

I also tried to explain that those animals live in very deep oceans. They followed by asking if ships are safe. Yes, of course ships are safe, the only people really at risk of being attacked by killer whales are those who choose to swim with killer whales.

And I felt like it was necessary to further explain that these animals are taken out of their natural habitat and when accidents like this happen, it's not because the animal is behaving badly, it is doing what comes naturally.

I realized about four minutes into the conversation that it was going to be more complicated than I had originally thought. I was in over my head.

Another unexpectedly complicated conversation started with my son asking what a "republican" is. Ummmm.

In addition to explaining political parties, that talk launched into explaining government — the difference between local government and federal government, the purpose that our representatives play, how they get elected, etc.

I was in over my head again. I ended up confusing myself, and thinking that there was no way he gleaned one iota of helpful information from that discussion.

There are some questions I just pretend like I don't hear because I don't know where to start. "What states do witches live in?" "How fast do vampires run?"

The questions are endless, and often hilarious. Through it all, I try to remind myself that this is good practice — the questions will probably get more difficult and more uncomfortable as my children get older.

There will be topics we have to embark upon that include the birds and the bees, among other things.

I try to be as honest as possible because I know telling half-truths and pretends will just come back to haunt me.

I also try to be accepting of their questions. There are times when my first response is a laugh or to roll my eyes with a sigh, but I want them to feel comfortable asking me about anything.

I pray this strategy pays off some day, even though now there are times when I want to put my fingers in my ears and sing "la la la" until they get distracted or forget the question.

I am starting to understand why my mother, when we were challenging her sanity, made comments such as, "I can't wait until you have children, then there will be justice."

I get it, Mom. And thanks.

Kym Byrnes writes from Finksburg. E-mail her at kymbyrnes@gmail.com.

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