Jen and I commonly chat about what we think/fear Bub may do when he's older that will really unnerve us. Jen, for example, decided to go to Europe after college with her younger sister without a plan or much money to speak of. I'm sure Brenda was thrilled about that one. I went more of the piercing/tattoo route, and gave my parents more than their fair share of ajeda. Suffice it to say, we feel well prepared to handle these specific issues. We also won't mind if he plays his music loudly, dyes his hair, or joins a band. In fact, we'll most likely encourage it. So the list of things Owen may one day do to drive us crazy is largely unknown to us at this time. We are both positive that he will be creative, and come up with new and innovative ways to send us over the deep end, but for now, we can really only think of two: joining the military and/or becoming a right-wing conservative.
With those fears in mind, we are doing everything possible to raise him in a truly liberal household. Some may choose to refer to this kind of parenting as "Berkeley parenting".
We are insistent that he not be defined by society's definition of gender, and, instead be able to look/dress/act/play with anything that feels right to him. He has an African-American doll dressed in pink that he picked out at Macy's. He also happens to be growing his hair out at this point.
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He is also sporting an amber necklace when he isn't sleeping. Apparently the natural oils found in amber can seep into the skin and help with chronic inflammation associated with (among other things) teething. |
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Nudity is highly valued, as in all good hippie homes. |
We read books such as "The Skin You Live In", "I'm Not Too Young to Help the Earth", and "Whoever You Are" that focus on the importance of self-worth, and the interconnectedness of all things. We even went to visit a daycare down the street that offers baby yoga daily. The fact that he's being raised by two women with strong liberal tendencies in the Bay Area is an obvious bonus, as well. We realize though, that even with all of our precautions, we don't know (nor can we REALLY control) which choices he will make later in life. All we can really do is offer him a strong foundation of good feminist/liberal/humanistic tendencies and offer him a safe place to discuss ideas, feelings, and experiences, while being ensured that he will be loved "no matter what he does or who he is" (from our book "I'll Still Love You")... as long as he always registers to vote as a democrat. ;)
