A friend of mine got a baby so this afternoon I headed to a baby store to buy a gift.
A hefty woman in her fifties asked: “Are you looking for something practical or just a gift?”
“Something practical,” I answered.
Just a gift sounded as something you wanted to throw out the moment you got it.
The sales woman showed me an item that looked very much like a food processor, but it could have been a toy as well.
“Actually, I was looking for clothes,” I said.
“You said you were looking for something practical.”
“Clothes are practical, aren’t they?”
The sales woman showed me some clothes.
“Grey is in fashion for babies,” she said. “And mothers love grey as well. Neutral colors. You don’t want to emphasize the gender of the baby. Grey is neutral.”
“I take the grey one,” I said. “And a pair with brighter colors as well.”
To be on the safe side – who knows the mother wanted to emphasize her baby’s gender. From time to time I even feel the urge to emphasize my gender, but I’ve come to accept the limits of my endeavor.