Discriminating Taste

Come to Mommy?  Please?

I had lunch today with a fellow Mommy Friend and we got to talking about her 18 month old son.  She was horrified to admit that her son didn’t seem to like older people because he cried whenever they were around.  Could that be?  Was her son really engaging in preferences this early?  We sorta laughed our guilty laughs and continued talking, why are babies so discriminating?

Now will you come to Mommy?  Please?

As a baby, my eldest never liked women.  He loved men, especially men with mustaches, the bushier the better.  There was a time I thought I’d have to don a Magnum P.I. ‘stasche just to get him to look at me with any degree of enthusiasm.  Thankfully, his love of facial hair didn’t last long; that faux mustache was never a good look for me.

Little BooBoo never liked people who were too friendly or social, he seemed skeptical of anyone who tried too hard.  God forbid a stranger would offer him a sweet and high-pitched hello, he’d shout “NO!” in their face and turn away!   Excuse me while I hide under a rock.

Our babies and toddlers would be in clear violation of Equal Employment Opportunity regulations and obvious liabilities for Human Resources Departments all over America.  But why do babies and young toddlers seem to show favoritism or obvious discontent based on age, sex, facial hair, etc.?  Perhaps even more disturbing is why they are so vocal about it, it’s like we couldn’t hide it if we tried! 

Obviously these preferences are not on account of any malicious intent, but as a parent I have been embarrassed more than a few times by the overt preferences my children have expressed.   As our children grow, Big Daddy P and I strive to teach them tolerance and social manners.  But tolerances for things like gender and facial hair?  I never thought I’d have to apologize for being a girl without a beard.

We live in a wonderfully diverse society worth experiencing and celebrating; in time our children will come to understand this. 

The good news though is that these quirky preferences never seem to last long, just long enough to make lasting impression on us!