A Conversation About Babies

[poliphilo]

"Now there are real babies around," says Ailz. "I can see that my pets are simply baby substitutes."

"That's a woman thing," I say. "Women must have something in their brains that makes them respond to small helpless creatures. I know I don't have it."

"The need to have something totally dependent on you," she says.

"For me," I say, "babies are just potential human beings. I value them for what they're going to become. The sooner they're out of the drooling, up-chucking, helpless stage the better."

"I suspect the babies feel that way too," says Ailz.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My instinct, when I'm with babies, is to teach them things- nursery rhymes, whatever- anything to get their brain cells working and lift them out of their puddingy helplessness.