You're Lucky You're Cute

This morning, as my daughter was giving me what I thought has a hug, only to discover that she had actually just wiped a huge mucousy booger on my shoulder, I realized that babies get away with a lot of things that we, as a society, consider to be embarassing, obnoxious, or just plain gross

For example, when my daughter was just a few weeks old, we went over to our friends' house for dinner, and we had placed our daughter in a bouncy seat while we were eating. As the adults were sitting around the table enjoying dinner, there was a momentary break in the conversation, which was immediately filled with a series of loud "noises" from my daughter's behind.

"PPPPBBBRRRRTTTT...PPBBRTT...ppbbrrtt...prt"

As we all turned around to look at my daughter, she had a look on her face that said, "What are you all looking at me for?"

At first I was a little embrassed at what she had done, but then I realized how funny it was that her "noise" was timed so perfectly with the break in the conversation, as well as her skill at being able to "hold a note" for so long, that I started laughing out loud, quickly joined by my wife and our friends.

"That's my little girl!" I proudly exclaimed.

If I had done the same thing, I would have had to leave immediatley in red-faced shame, and probably wouldn't be able bring myself to visit those particular friends for a very long time. When she did it, everyone thought it was adorable and funny.

Another activity that my daughter surprisingly gets away with is a new game that she developed called "I drop it, you pick it up". The basic premise of the game is that she drops things off of her highchair, and whoever is closest to her picks the items up and gives them back to her, and is rewarded with a big gummy smile. Fun!

My wife, who was once a preschool teacher and has actually taken early childhood development classes, told me that we aren't supposed to deny her the objects that's dropping or teach her to stop dropping them because that's one of the ways that she learns cause and effect.

Teaching her cause and effect is great, but isn't there a less obnoxious way for her to learn it?

Again, if any adult, or any grade school-age child for that matter, was repeatedly dropping everything that you handed to them just because they enjoyed watching you pick it up, the game wouldn't last very long at all. (Even the waitresses at Hooters will stop giving you the fork you keep dropping after a while.) However, when a baby does it, for some reason we find it adorable, and we keep playing for a chance to see that silly gummy grin again.

I have a theory about the young of most animals, including human babies, that their cuteness is a defense mechanism to make people want to care for them, or to keep them from being eaten.

If you are a pet owner, think about the day that you first brought your dog or cat home, when they were a puppy or kitten. Did they pee on your bed, chew on your couch, or eat your favorite shoes? (I've had new pets do all of the above) Afterwards, did you kick them out on the street, or forgive them and let them sleep on the bed again that night because when you were at your maddest, they cuddled up to you to show you how cute and sorry they were?

I'm assuming you chose the latter.

The same thing applies to babies, they're cuteness is how they get away with so much. There aren't many people that I would let wipe their snot on my shoulder, but how can I deny my adorable little girl the simple pleasure of using her dad as a Kleenex?

Even so, someday the cuteness will wear off, gas in public won't be funny, toys will have to be picked up by those who dropped them, and snotty noses will have to be blown into real tissues so why not enjoy every minute of embarrasing, obnoxious, disgusting cuteness while it lasts?