Hard to Explain

This past week, I found myself in a public bathroom stall with Daniel. This was not the first time, of course, but the conversation had never before unfolded like this: I sat on the commode and Daniel stood by the door, intensely staring between my legs. First I thought he might be looking at my underwear ("Mommy no wear diaper?"). So I asked him what he was looking at, and he responded (without missing a beat), "Penis?"

I'll pause for a moment here and explain that we are very open in my house. Daniel has seen both parents naked, and he regularly accompanies us to the bathroom. He is also very much aware of his own genitalia (see "A Perplexing Bathtime"). Therefore, it wasn't his use of the word that had me a bit flummoxed. It was the impact that my answer would have on his current and future perception of sexuality and gender roles. Just kidding...I thought it was pretty damn funny!

In a sympathetic voice, I responded, "No, Daniel, Mommy doesn't have a penis. Only boys and daddies have penises. Mommies don't have penises." (Though many of us DO have some seriously brass balls.) He didn't seem concerned, although he didn't necessarily stop staring as I wiped and flushed the toilet. I'm sure the issue will come up again as he continues to learn more about the world around him. I expect that he will, at some point in the distant future, learn the word "vagina" (and giggle like an idiot every time he hears it, as all adolescent boys are programmed to do). I'm proud that he knows the correct anatomical term for his "private" area. There are no wee-wees in my house.

An Ever-Expanding Palate

Today we took Daniel to the King of Prussia mall. Aside from riding the escalator about a dozen times, he got to play a cool Lego computer game at the Apple store AND throw a bunch of pennies into the fountain. It was a big day. We wrapped up our mall outing with lunch at the Nordstrom cafe. I like taking Daniel there because it's pretty mellow (nothing like the insanity of a food court) and very kid-friendly. I ordered him mac and cheese off the kids' menu because I figured it would be a little bit better than your typical kids' menu mac and cheese. I even said out loud, "It will probably have real cheese!" Not that Daniel would know the difference.

While we waited for our meals to arrive, Daniel took turns sampling both Peter's Manhattan clam chowder and my tomato basil soup. He pretty much hijacked our bowls and hogged them in his corner of the table. My little moocher! Every time he slurped some soup off the spoon, he would nod vigorously and say, "Good!" We both tried in vain to get our soups back, with limited success. He did allow me to dip some bread into my soup and eat it that way, but he wasn't giving up that spoon. I'm almost glad he ate as much soup as he did because when his mac and cheese showed up, it was unmistakably of the Kraft variety. Shame on you, Nordstrom! He did eat some of it, but he definitely preferred the soup!

This evening, we went to a local Japanese restaurant where they prepare a nice little Bento box for kids. After stealing Peter's miso soup and downing the entire bowl (tofu and all -- Daddy was forced to order another bowl for himself), Daniel feasted on crabstick, sticky rice, and chicken- and-various-vegetables tempura. He even ate a piece of grapefruit for dessert! I was impressed. Not only was the quantity of food larger than usual, but the variety was astounding. It proves that even the most ardent pizza and french fries fan needs a little change now and then.