(click on image to see in full screen)
25 years later, I'm ever so grateful for those who never lost the nerve to speak up to dour old men. You are heroes all.
* * *
The growing repertoire of "career" fiascos can be seen here.
fifth grade
Responsibility /
Back in the fifth grade, close to a quarter-century ago, my class learned about the Responsibility of Parenthood by carting around egg babies for a couple of weeks.
The numbers declined slowly but steadily. Eggs were dropped, or sat upon, or mislaid. There were some particularly dramatic losses on the playground, and a few (failed) attempts to fool the teacher with unsanctioned replacements.
In short, a bunch of ten-year-old kids did pretty much what you'd expect them to do.
Well, most of them.
I'd been wondering, recently, how accurate my memory was of that time; if I'd actually taken the exercise as super, super seriously as I remembered. Had I really hand-sewn outfits? And converted an old toolbox into a plush, fully decorated mobile nursery? And started up a mini cloth diaper laundry operation at my desk?
Egg babies in their vintage duds. (click on image to enlarge)
Then I found these--still dusted with baby powder--and doubted no more.
(As an aside, it turns out that a foolproof parenting strategy for getting your kids safely into adulthood is to tuck them away, untouched, in a dark attic for 20+ years.)
