Practice

History, Part 7 of 8

Another break. Some things just demand reverence and caution, but I’ll get to it.

Anyway, a quick anecdote on the way:

While we were working at becoming parents, we decided we wanted to be as ready as possible when the time came. We read all the typical books (and all the research we could find on our family type), but the most helpful thing we did was take care of our friend’s baby during the day. R quit his job and became a full time baby sitter, and, at the time, I was working out of the home most of the day.

We learned how to change diapers (how not to change diapers), how to get him down for a nap, how to make a baby laugh, all the jobs and tricks. After a couple months we felt like pros.

It was about then when a close friend of mine and his wife came into town, showing some friends of theirs from France around the US. These Frenchmen were a bit surprised a home like ours existed in Utah, and asked about “our baby”. I told them no, we weren’t parents yet, but in jest I told them that he was, instead, our practice baby.

After lunch they all headed off to Arches. As they drove away they were conversing in French, seemingly debating, and finally, switching back to English, one asked my friend, “Must all Americans have a practice baby, or only gay Americans?”

Not a bad idea, eh? We could all use a little practice, some of us more than others ;-).

But I am left wondering on the particulars of the government program these Frenchmen had envisioned, a program handing out “practice babies” to expectant couples. Where do practice babies come from? Where do they go, once the to-be parents are “trained” to the point of being entrusted with a “real” baby?

The French must have an odd view of the US :-).