The Periphery of the Mind

People like to ask "are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" I know the correct answer is "I don't care, as long as it's healthy" but that's a cop out of an answer. Of course, you want the child to be healthy; nobody says "I don't care if it's brain dead as long as it has a penis". Ok, I may have said it, but I was joking.

It's safe to assume everybody wants healthy children, so "I don't care, as long as it's healthy" isn't an answer to the gender question. I'm pretty firmly wanting a boy (and am surprised at how strongly I feel this way), while Maryanne is sliding away from a boy and more towards either I think. In the past I know she's said she'd prefer a boy, not feeling comfortable with "girly stuff", but I think being around her nieces has helped her overcome some of that. My interest in having a son (or sons) is purely a male-chauvinistic macho thing, so that the child can carry on the family name. Failing that, I'll be sure to lovingly raise my daughter to appreciate GI Joe, Transformers, Legos, and zombie flicks; and then I'll secretly punch myself in the genitals to punish them for failing me so.

Labels: Fatherhood