A Conversation Piece

The perfect conversation piece must be a newborn baby.

12-day old Bunso was in my arms when we went to the mall and I was immediately greeted by people, young and old. I lost count of how many times I was smiled at, and frowned at. There were people who cooed (“Ay, babbbyyyy!”) and gushed at how cute he is, and people who tried to conceal their shock (“Ay, ang liit pa!) at having this tiny person join the crowd. I was asked many times how old our baby is, and I received many comments about his hair.

One granny couldn’t help herself. She walked straight towards us, and in a stern voice, she said, “Bakit nyo nilabas yang bata, bagong panganak lang yan!” Hubby and I just smiled.

We are used to dealing with these people. It all started with our older children – we first showed them to the world when they were barely a week old!

I understand that many people will not agree with this. Many, many mothers and grandmothers insist on having both mother and baby stay indoors for at least 4 weeks postpartum.

But we needed to go to the supermarket, not to mention that we all could benefit from a trip to the mall. So we have chosen to take the advice of a baby book (What To Expect The First Year) – “Any baby hardy enough to leave the hospital is hardy enough to weather a stroll through the park.”

My two older children have never been sickly, and Bunso remains  in the pink of health. I think we did just fine.