Musings on a Baby, Part I
I was driving into work today and I was thinking about Peanut. There are all kinds of things that Peanut will see entirely differently from Bianca and I. These are little things that we are stunned or surprised by that Peanut will just take for granted. Here are just a few:
Good:
Peanut will never know a world without a black president. To him or her this is just going to be a matter of history, as opposed to some hypothetical yearning. How crazy great is that? I am grateful that Peanut will never associate race with opportunity, or at least he or she will do so much less than we did. I'd also be really grateful if Peanut never heard or said the "n" word. I know that is not going to happen, but it is nice to dream.
Bad:
Peanut may never see a polar bear outside of a zoo. According to all kinds of sources polar bears in the wild are not long for this world. So recycle, compost, do whatever. I want Peanut to be able to go see a polar bear if he or she wants in the Artic. Maybe Peanut will run into the incredibly rare prizzly bear. Or is that a grolar bear?
I don't know:
Peanut will probably never own an incandescent flashlight. He or she will DEFINITELY on some kind of light, but it will not be an incan.
Good:
It is almost a certain that the greatest baseball player of all time, by the time Peanut is old enough to care, will be a Latin American ballplayer (either A Rod or, more likely, Albert Pujols). How cool is that? Forever kids, like me, knew the Babe was the best. Then there was Barry Bonds (Dad, don't make a face, it is not really up for dispute). But if Albert Pujols keeps playing like he has he will pass the Babe and Barry in about 7-9 years, as far as best ever is concern.
Bad:
Peanut will never know the joys of hiding away on a lazy Saturday afternoon and reading a paper almanac or an encyclopedia to discover cool facts like the Komodo Dragon is capable of parthenogenesis. There is something super awesome about stumbling on facts in a paper book that the internet can't replicate. It is really good at finding stuff you are looking for, but the random cool fact, like the world's tallest man made structure is now the Burj Dubai at 2,720 feet tall, is hard to encounter on the web.
I don't know:
Peanut will never know firsthand what a Polaroid is. They were kinda stupid even when I was a kid, but the idea of an instant camera could be cool, if the pictures were clear, they developed quicker, and they were less receptive to fingerprints. In other words, they weren't Polaroids.
I am sure more of these random facts will hit me as we await his or her arrival.
January 15th, after that we will no longer have to use the phrase "his or hers". SWEET.
Good:
Peanut will never know a world without a black president. To him or her this is just going to be a matter of history, as opposed to some hypothetical yearning. How crazy great is that? I am grateful that Peanut will never associate race with opportunity, or at least he or she will do so much less than we did. I'd also be really grateful if Peanut never heard or said the "n" word. I know that is not going to happen, but it is nice to dream.
Bad:
Peanut may never see a polar bear outside of a zoo. According to all kinds of sources polar bears in the wild are not long for this world. So recycle, compost, do whatever. I want Peanut to be able to go see a polar bear if he or she wants in the Artic. Maybe Peanut will run into the incredibly rare prizzly bear. Or is that a grolar bear?
I don't know:
Peanut will probably never own an incandescent flashlight. He or she will DEFINITELY on some kind of light, but it will not be an incan.
Good:
It is almost a certain that the greatest baseball player of all time, by the time Peanut is old enough to care, will be a Latin American ballplayer (either A Rod or, more likely, Albert Pujols). How cool is that? Forever kids, like me, knew the Babe was the best. Then there was Barry Bonds (Dad, don't make a face, it is not really up for dispute). But if Albert Pujols keeps playing like he has he will pass the Babe and Barry in about 7-9 years, as far as best ever is concern.
Bad:
Peanut will never know the joys of hiding away on a lazy Saturday afternoon and reading a paper almanac or an encyclopedia to discover cool facts like the Komodo Dragon is capable of parthenogenesis. There is something super awesome about stumbling on facts in a paper book that the internet can't replicate. It is really good at finding stuff you are looking for, but the random cool fact, like the world's tallest man made structure is now the Burj Dubai at 2,720 feet tall, is hard to encounter on the web.
I don't know:
Peanut will never know firsthand what a Polaroid is. They were kinda stupid even when I was a kid, but the idea of an instant camera could be cool, if the pictures were clear, they developed quicker, and they were less receptive to fingerprints. In other words, they weren't Polaroids.
I am sure more of these random facts will hit me as we await his or her arrival.
January 15th, after that we will no longer have to use the phrase "his or hers". SWEET.