With her hands on her hips and full of self-confidence, she announced to her dad on a Saturday afternoon that she was ready for him to remove her training wheels. I knew this was coming, because her and I had previously discussed it. But it still came as a shock when she actually said it.

When it comes to my kids getting hurt, I am stereotypical worried parent. When my husband proceeded to completely remove training wheels, I panicked! I suggested just raising them a little bit, a mere "baby step". He had nerve to remind me that she was no longer a baby, something that I choose to ignore whenever possible, which can be difficult to do while encouraging her to grow and learn and experience new things.

I was outnumbered, and training wheels were completely removed. I secured elbow and knee pads, re-adjusted her helmet to ensure proper fitting, and she ran over to her "big girl" bike. I was tempted to close my eyes or run inside, but I couldn't bear to miss a moment that was so exciting for her.

This time, though, she caught me off guard. My darling daughter, who won't even be five years old until next week, asked famous question, "Mom, where do babies come from?"

I immediately started to respond, "Well, honey, when a man and a woman love each other, their love can make a baby...."

At this point, she quickly interrupted me..."No, mom, I mean, how does baby get inside mommy's tummy?"

That was all it took for me. Ten years of reading parenting magazines and advice books continuously, and I had forgotten everything I ever read on proper response to this line of questioning. My chin dropped to my chest, and my mind was blank.

Luckily, I realized that I had to recover from my momentary brain-freeze, and come up with some sort of answer. My daughter isn't type to let something go unanswered. To buy myself some time, I told her it wasn't easy to explain, and I'd look for a book that we could read together. This seemed to satisfy her for time being.

Now, with a few days to get back to her, I can help other parents avoid being caught in same situation. I'm sure I am not only parent unprepared to have this conversation with a child this young. So what's best approach, according to 'experts'?

Regarding best time to start talking about sex with your child, Planned Parenthood says, "It's best to start as soon as children begin getting sexual messages. And they start getting them as soon as they're born. But don't worry if you haven't started yet. It's never too late. Just don't try to "catch up" all at once. The most important thing is to be open and available whenever a child wants to talk. The rest will take care of itself." (How to Talk With Your Child About Sexuality: A Parent's Guide)

According to Pandorah Turner of www.RaisingKids.tv, "Your 5-year-old daughter may be happy with simple answer that babies come from a seed that grows in a special place inside mother. Dad helps when his seed combines with mom's seed, which causes baby to start to grow" (Article: Talking To Your Daughter About The Birds & The Bees). To me, that seems like a very comfortable way to answer her question. However, it scares me to think what she might ask next!