Unusual Interests

[Philly_NewlySingle_Mom]

My daughter (age: 8) has loved animals all her life, specially horses.  She owns 100's of toy horses, barn animals, lions, etc. I loved that about her.
Until, I looked at the history on her iPad and saw that she is watching videos of animals mating, animals giving birth, etc.
I questioned her and she can't seem to be able to give me an answer.
Have you heard of this before?
what steps can I take to stop the curiosity? I am at a loss as to how to deal/handle this.

Thanks & God Bless
Dalis

[AnnieBrooke]

Oh rats!  I meant to write at the first, "I am NOT certain this is unusual."  Sorry!

[AnnieBrooke]

I am certain that this is unusual, by which I mean she is not unusual in being curious about reproduction.  The fact that she loves animals means she looked first at how animals 'do it.'  (A lot of 8-year-old boys just go straight to finding videos of humans in this same activity.)  Unless you have hints that she thinks she is an animal or have seen her writing long stories in which she takes an odd role (writes as if an animal or fantasizes strongly about an all-animal world in a way that puts up your red flags) I'd let it go.  Buy her one of the books written for an audience her age that is about human reproduction and changing bodies (a good one for boys is called "What's Going On Down There?" and when I bought it for my son, he simply went in his room for about ten nights in a row and read it over and over.  There must be similar books for 8-year-old girls) and try not to worry, I would suggest.  It means less that an 8-year-old that loves animals is curious about animals mating and giving birth than it might mean if a 20-year-old is obsessing over the topic.  If she gives signals that she might be disassociating from being a human by simply yearning to be an animal, talk to a children's therapist, but what you are describing here would not worry me as a parent.