Non-Breeder: The Toddler Has No Clothes
How the diaper-free movement tested my oldest friendship.
by Gina Zucker
May 10, 2007
A few minutes later, Emma and Thor emerged, both looking slightly sheepish. "Thanks
for doing that," Emma said. I felt a surprising rush of affection for my
friend. "No problem," I said. I realized I meant it.
Now, our vacation is over. But my husband and I can't seem to stop talking
about the turd on the floor. Friends ask, "How was your vacation?" and
we tell them about Thor's sudden deposit, and how fast Emma moved, but
how it was way too late. "There was no sign," I say. "It just
happened!" "I knew it would happen," my husband says proudly. He uses
the word "pantsless" when referring to Thor. "We lived with
a pantsless kid," he says. "The inevitable occurred."
Hearing this story, another of my friends, herself a mother to a toddler, emails
me the following: "Potty-training a previously-diapered child also involves
lots of poop on the floor. Alec has left
turds on his bedroom rug, the hallway, and worstWho's to say Emma isn't
on to something good with the no-diaper philosophy? of all, while taking a bath,
which
sounds
like it would be more hygienic but is actually
a total disaster."
Then, I see a parenting blog that reads, "People with no children read
about people with children to make judgments. They love saying, 'If that
was me, I wouldn't do that. I'd be perfect.' I used to do the
same thing. Now I know better."
This all starts me thinking about my own propensity to judge my friend. Anyone
can see that Thor is one very happy kid. Who's to say Emma isn't
on to something good with the no-diaper philosophy, just as she has been so many
other times? If I have a baby someday, maybe, just maybe, I'll find myself
forgoing diapers for a prompt word. Given how I used to feel about picking up
dog poop before I got a dog, or how I used to feel about being married before
I got a husband, anything is possible.
Whatever the case, I hope I will remember Emma's wisdom. If you miss, you
miss. It's not the end of the world.
©2007 Zucker Gina and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Gina Zucker is a writer and teacher living in Brooklyn. |
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