My Seussical Life for 2005 March 21

Today it was necessary for me to change the diaper of the little boy I love to baby-sit. It was interesting to me that I can change my own kids' diapers with no problem at all, but changing the other little boy had me dry heaving. Even though I adore caring for him, he isn't mine, and somehow that makes a difference. What a wonder.

Atticus noticed that the child is uncircumcised. He said, "Mom, how come his penis is chopped off?" I didn't tell him it is actually the other way around.

While I am on this topic, I will warn you to take care when you decide to teach your son the proper term for his anatomical parts. There are benefits, like when you are potty training. Some things really must be named in that situation, and we obviously chose to use the more accurate term. Sometimes that nomenclature can embarrass a parent, though, like when we were visiting a dinosaur exhibit. A group of adults asked Atticus what he thought of the T-Rex. He announced that he knew it was a girl dinosaur because it didn't have a penis. I wanted to die.