Talk to Your Kids About the Birds and the Bees

By Tania Vincent

Tell them it’s not always mutually aware. That sometimes you bloom fully for someone who never brings the sun, or just doesn’t know how to.

Tell them nectar is not always sweet. That sometimes it’s silence that gives away the softest part of yourself just to feel real again.

Tell them the pollinators are not always kind. That sometimes they just take what they want and fly away, never to be spoken to again.

Tell them there’s a difference between being wanted and being loved. That sometimes wanting can feel like love, if you’re lonely enough.

Tell them the first time might not feel like magic. That sometimes it feels like  trying to be beautiful fast enough.

Tell them that some flowers close at night for a reason. That the buzz wears off. The honey runs dry. The hive is not always a home.

Tell them they don’t owe anyone their bloom.

Tell them they can leave, even if it’s mid-season, even if they were chosen, even if they already said yes.

Tell them they were always the garden.

And that not everyone deserves to touch what grows.

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Tania Vincent writes to explore intimacy, dislocation, and the stories we carry in silence. She’s usually with her people, behind the camera, or chasing the most interesting place on earth.

Socials: IG @aprojectforart