Modern Mom: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, Babies are from Jupiter?

My 6-year-old son casually asked me during breakfast the other day where babies come from. Seizing the teachable moment and hoping to buy some time, I asked him where he thought they come from, to which he replied very assuredly, “They come from Jupiter.” Uh oh…I thought, we have quite a bit to discuss. So I told him everything…and I mean everything. Taking special care with the words I chose, since my son is adopted, I told him how grown-up men and women (I must have stressed grown up at least 6 times) create babies. I told him how they grow in a woman’s stomach and how some women can grow babies but don’t know how to take care of them, while other women can’t grow babies but they know how to care for and love a baby and how all that makes families come together. The birds and the bees and adoption in one conversation; not bad. When I was all done, I asked him if he had any questions. “Can I go play with the Wii?” he wanted to know. I think he got way more than he expected.

That night I was at a party, and I shared the conversation with several friends. Everyone said I went overboard. They said I went into too much detail and a much more general response would have sufficed. What do you think? What’s the right age to tell it like it is?