Felix watched the fish tank bubble. "Mom, can fish change their gender?" he asked. Mom smiled. "Some fish can change from boy fish to girl fish, or girl to boy!" Felix's eyes went wide. "WHY?" "It helps them have babies. Clownfish live in groups. If the mom fish goes away, the dad fish can become the new mom!" Felix gasped. "THE DAD BECOMES THE MOM?" Mom nodded, pointing at an orange clownfish in a picture book.

A Fishy Question

Felix tilted his head. "Does the dad fish get a purse?" "No," Mom laughed. "A mom haircut?" "No, Felix." "Okay. Just checking." Mom showed him another fish. "Some fish do the opposite! A girl fish can become a boy fish too." "Fish are confusing," Felix said. "They're fascinating," Mom replied. Felix grabbed his fluffy turtle. "Can Squirt change into a girl turtle?" Mom giggled. "Squirt is a toy. He can be whatever you imagine!" Felix hugged Squirt tight. "Good."

Does He Get a Purse?

That evening, Dad walked through the door. Felix ran to him. "Dad! Some fish can change from boy to girl!" "I did not know that," Dad said, setting down his bag. "Some fish dads can become fish moms!" Felix shouted, bouncing on his toes. Dad chuckled. "Nature is pretty amazing." Felix stared up at him with a big grin. "Dad... if YOU were a clownfish, you could become a mom!" Dad blinked and looked over at Mom, who covered her mouth.

Dad Comes Home

Mom burst out laughing at the table. Dad smiled. "I suppose I could become a mom fish." Felix grinned wide. "Would you make fish sandwiches?" Dad shook his head. "I think fish prefer worms." "EWWW!" Felix squealed, hugging Squirt close. "Fish are so weird!" Mom ruffled his hair. "And that's exactly what makes them wonderful." Felix giggled, looking at Squirt's derpy little face. "Even weird things can be wonderful, right, Squirt?" The whole family laughed together.

Fish Sandwiches

Felix is a curious, energetic 6-year-old who asks endless questions and loves animals. He takes things very literally and often turns facts into funny ideas. He is imaginative, sweet, and never afraid to ask, “But what if…?”

Felix

Mom is patient, warm, and knowledgeable. She loves Felix’s curiosity and explains complicated science in simple ways. She has a playful sense of humor and never makes Felix feel silly for asking questions. She is the calm, science-loving voice of the family.

Dad is goofy, loving, and playful. He enjoys Felix’s wild questions but is often caught completely off guard by them. He has a great sense of humor and happily plays along with Felix’s imagination—even when Felix suddenly announces that Dad could become a fish mom.

He is a green and tan fluffy toy in the shape of a turtle with a derpy face


Squirt

“Mom, can fish change their gender?”
Mom smiled. “Some fish can change their **sex**. Their bodies can naturally change from male to female, or female to male.”
Felix's eyes grew wide. “WHY?”
“For some fish, it helps them reproduce. It can happen when they grow up, become a certain size, or when something changes in their group.”
“Like what?”
Mom showed him a clownfish. “Clownfish live in groups. The largest breeding fish is usually female. If she dies, the breeding male can change into a female and become the new breeding fish.”
Felix gasped. “THE DAD BECOMES THE MOM?”
“In clownfish, yes! His hormones and reproductive organs change over time.”
“Does he get a purse?”
“No.”
“A mom haircut?”
“No, Felix.”
“Okay. Just checking.”
Mom showed him a bluehead wrasse. “These fish can do the opposite. A female can change into a male when the dominant male disappears.”
“Fish are confusing.”
“They're fascinating.”
“Are clownfish the only ones?”
“Nope. Some parrotfish can change from female to male, and blue-ribbon eels start as males and later become females. There are even fish that can change in either direction.”
Felix grabbed his stuffed turtle, Squirt.
“Can Squirt change into a girl?”
Mom laughed. “Squirt is stuffed, so he doesn't have biological sex. But he can be whatever kind of turtle you imagine him to be.”
Felix hugged him. “Good.”
That evening, Dad came home.
“Dad! Did you know some fish can change sex?”
“I did not.”
“Some fish dads can become moms!”
Dad nodded. “Nature is pretty amazing.”
Felix stared at him.
“Dad…”
“Yeah?”
“If YOU were a clownfish, you could become a mom!”
Dad looked at Mom.
Mom burst out laughing.
Dad smiled. “I suppose I could.”
Felix grinned. “Would you make fish sandwiches?”
“I think fish prefer worms.”
“EWW!”
Felix hugged Squirt.
“Fish are weird.”
Mom smiled. “And that's what makes them wonderful.”