THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Mom, Are You Going To Be a Man When You Grow Up?
Gender conversations with a three-year-old.
OK, it didn’t actually start quite like that. More like:
-Mom, will the three of us be men when we grow up?
-Who are you talking about, Matthew?
-Dad, you and I.
Ignoring the fact that he doesn’t think I’m a grown-up yet, I do my best to remain serious:
-Oh, I see. Well, you and dad will be men, and I’ll be a woman.
-Why?
-Because I was born a woman.
-What if you were born a cat?
-Even as a cat, I would have still been a… hmm… a woman or a man. But you know, when we talk about animals, we say female or male. There are only two sexes, for either humans or animals.
He doesn’t seem impressed, so I continue my lecture. I don’t get into details regarding the difference between sex and gender, but I choose to exemplify.
-When we talk about cattle, the female is a cow and the male is a bull. With horses, the female is a mare and the male is a stallion. With sheep, the female is a ewe and the male is a ram.
