Baby Boy Benefits

Sharry and I were both hoping for a baby girl and I honestly had some gender disappointment when we were learned JJ was going to be a boy. We even had a pretty firm name picked out for a daughter, Sharrol Ann (combines our two moms’ names). Right now my fave girl name is Hope...central theme to my life.  Of course we recovered quickly from our slight disappointment and I cannot imagine anything different currently although sometimes I do think it would be kind of cool to have a little Sharry to love and to hold. Sharry let me know what the gender was going to be for a Christmas present and she wrote me an insightful note of why boys are so great. I want to share that now.

"Beautiful Boy" - John Lennon

Dear Jared,

I know you were hoping for a girl, but after thinking about it for a little while I bet you’ll be as excited as I am. To help you kick start your love for boys. I thought I’d make a little list of some of the reasons having a boy will be awesome.

#1 He’ll be like you. I can’t think of anything better for this world than getting another little Jared out there fighting for more love, peace and simplicity in the world. I hope he has your grin, your zest for life, and your heart.

#2 Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi--all boys Let’s face it , there have been a lot of kick ass boys throughout history and I think this kid is going to be one of them! From poets to painters to philosophers and saints (St Francis!) You gotta admit boys are cool.

#3 Boys have less physical pain in their lives (and are less likely to be depressed). Sure, boys get scrapes and broken bones- but they don’t have to have horribly painful periods or bear children! Boys also (generally) are less likely to suffer from depression and since we are both going to be worry - wart- parents (okay I will be at least) the less suffering our kids have the better!

#4 He’ll be ours. We get to raise this little baby boy from cloth diapers to canvas cros (since that’s pretty much the common factor between all the men I know). We’ll teach him about nature and empathy, and kindness. We’ll teach him about mindfulness and charity and nonviolence. We teach him about music and activism and mother nature and art. We’ll teach him - and show him all the love in our hearts.

Shar of course made some excellent points in this note. And I am incredibly excited to have and raise JJ...most of the time.  I must confess there are nights where I wonder what the hell I’m doing when he is inconsolably crying early in the AM and sincerely wish I could get a full refund and my Sharry back. Generally though, at least for the JJ aspect of my life, I am excited. He will be my best buddy who I will do my best to teach to be as nerdy as his dad and as caring and creative as his mom. And I will show him “all the love in my/our hearts.”

Bonus activity: Who does JJ look more like? I found these pics in one our shared journals and of course they're not as glamorous as JJ's but still fun to compare. It will be awesome to note and observe over time all the little traits and appearances he gets from both of us!