yesterday was bring your child to work day (how did i forget? and why did i not take another day off?). it dawned on me when i saw libby (my boss’ kid) and lisa (my boss) walking across the parking lot in the morning. having been at the beach the past many days, i was not mentally prepared to deal with that situation. i bumped into them in the lobby where lisa proceeded to tell me that libby had just told her, ‘i love dark haired people!’ sweet. slash, what is an appropriate response to that?
there were 3 groups of kids touring the facility. shannon and i got the youngest group first and as they strolled into the large conference room and gathered around the table, libby asked, ‘are you a boy or girl?’ shannon and i made eye contact and decided to ignore. libby’s question started a ripple effect. the boy and girl sitting to my left and right also started to interrogate me. all this while shannon was trying to conduct a focus group. and was trying very hard to keep a straight face.
f00: i’m a girl.
kids: are you a boy or girl?
f00: indeed, i am a girl.
libby: are you sure?
f00: yes, i’m pretty sure.
eric: i think you’re a boy.
f00: well, perhaps it’s the short and dark hair.
eric: hmm, maybe.
eric: do you play football?
f00: no.
libby: she's a korean girl...
f00: actually, i'm a chinese girl.
libby: oh. (point, f00)
some time passed and i thought i had them convinced. but who was i kidding?
libby: are you sure you’re a girl?
f00: yes.
libby: do you ever wear dresses?
f00: hmm, yes. yes, i do. but not all the time.
libby: hmm, yeah. i think if you wore dresses, it would make you look more like a girl.
libby is 6 this year.
reminder: this is the same group that asked if i spoke japanese last year. tragic.
14 years ago
3 comments:
OMFG LX - this was a hilarious post. This might have been a good teaching moment for the young ones. i.e. It's rude, why do you feel it important to categorize people according to your preconceived notions of gender etc etc?
COME BACK TO THE WEST COAST PLEASE!!!
it would have been way more entertaining if you were there to witness the festivities :o)
there was a brief moment when i considered explaining gender stereotypes but was too bombarded with questions, as you can imagine.
with the older group, i considered explaining the concept of capitalism. they seem appalled when told that not all foods were necessarily healthy and asked: why do companies sell these products then?
the road trip involves the west coast so i will see you sometime soon, my friend. be prepared for an adventure!
I find myself constantly explaining capitalism to my patients:
Yes, they sell douchebags, but douching is not recommended. Why do they sell them? Because people buy them.
Probably if you had brought that up with the little ones, they would not have doubted that you are, indeed, a lady.
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