babies, biases & patriarchy

A shameless inclusion from a few months back.

There's no way around it. I'm biased. But I believe I have a truly adorable embodiment of babyhood in my little guy. It would not be an exaggeration to say that when he was born, it was like a new star was discovered in the universe to which we reoriented our existence. And I'm including the girls in this too -- the whole family -- we LOVE this boy.

More recent pic of little guy looking virile.

The baby has always gotten the lion's share of attention in the family, so at first I didn't notice, but now that we've been here nearly a month, there's no denying that this guy garners more attention in Georgia because he's a boy. Georgia, to put it bluntly, is a patriarchal country. The Georgian lifestyle is traditional and family-oriented. Most unmarried adult women continue to live with their parents until marriage, rendering fathers control over their employment and lifestyle, and when women marry, they move in with their new husband's family. It's very common for women to stay in the home and not have a job even after their children are grown.

The balance of power may be headed in a new direction, but it's a long way from arriving. The men are polite and gracious . . . and used to being in charge. There's a real sense of exclusive fraternity here that I never picked up on in the politically-correct States.

With our driver, having second thoughts about Georgian women squeezing his chubbalicious thighs.

Georgian men (and women, for that matter) love little baby boys that will grow up to be other men. I have all three children with me much of the time and it's clear that the girls are fine and well, but the boy (oh boy!) is really a spectacle, particularly if he does something distinctly masculine, like grunt, throw something, or smack a nearby face. I've seen stone-faced Georgian cable repairmen, security agents, and handymen melt in a second when baby let's out a well-timed uh!  None of my (subjectively) adorable children have ever before commanded this kind of attention.

Hangin tough.

We have yet to know what long-term results this developing situation will yield. He has always seemed very boyish to me already, will he turn super-macho? Grow an early beard? With two very girly sisters let's hope for now he can at least bring balance to our newly-oriented universe.