The Adventures of "off color" daughter's flour baby.....

 You know, I was just thinking.

Every person, whether little or big, is a human being.

 And because we are human there are many things that are alike about all of us.

 For instance, we all need to be loved.

Everybody does. Every person that you see in this world needs to be loved. And the marvelous thing about being human is that while we're very much alike, each one of us is very different too. 

Mr. Rogers

Off-color daughter has a baby...yes it is true.

Over the week of thanksgiving, one of her psychology assignments was to

design and build a baby--a flour baby.  Inside the baby's body is a bag of flour--"off color" daughter was the "lucky"(not) student in class to be the proud mother of

not a 5 lb. baby--no she pulled out of the hat one of the two ten pound flour baby assignments---she has developed quite the baby carrying muscle over the past two weeks.

We spent the night after Thanksgiving looking for a head and googly eyes and

sat around my mother's table while she put together her assignment.

Instead of using nude pantie hose to create her baby,

off-color daughter being a creative and free thinker, bought a pair of midnight hose to create the body. We got his outfit at the local Dollar General and finally---baby was created.

The assignment included carrying around the baby everywhere she went and treating it as she would any "real live" baby.  So far, no damage has been done to baby Mason--she has two more days before her assignment ends.

With teen pregnancy continuing to rise, I think her teacher has a great idea for teaching about the demands and time consumption of early child rearing.

The first day she had to take him to school, I get a text from her.

"people are looking at my baby and asking me why I made a black baby."

"I think I'm just going to give them the evil eye."

later in the day, I get a text with some choice words...

What the *&^(!

What is the deal?

"Don't people know that Sandra Bullock has a black baby---I hate public school."

I laughed and took a moment to text her back...

well, the issue is lots of people in the world,

live with these comments every day,

lots of them deal with the stares,

the mean looks...

the something..

I think that is what you can learn from this......

I then said, I think you should write an essay about what happens

when you take Mason to different places---bet you could get some extra credit for a short essay about acceptance.

I could feel her eye roll over the phone.....

but I think the assignment has been very valuable.

Baby Mason has been to the mall, the grocery, they gym, the waffle house 

the food co-op and mama 'off-color daughter' has had to deal with

all the looks, the responsibility and the comments.

It has been good and I've enjoyed our conversations about her experience.

One day this week, I was on my way to pick her up from the local food co-op and

my phone rang, "Please just talk to me....people are staring and asking me questions and I'm tired of explaining why I have this baby....it is getting on my nerves."  When I arrived, I found her

baby sitting in the buggy with her standing in the soap aisle smelling

hand crafted soaps.

I've learned alot about life from watching her with this assignment.

"off color daughter" dances to her own tune.  She does what she wants and

is okay with it.  She accepts folks for who they are---regardless of color--and

was shocked by the responses of other people.  It made me feel like Big Daddy and I have done an okay job with her.  She thinks, asks questions and questions why the world is not right.....

and

I don't have a clue who she got that from......

We have one more evening of baby Mason the flour baby....

and

I think

he has served his purpose

not only in teaching

her about the responsibility and difficulty of teen pregnancy

but in teacher us

 about

the world,

about acceptance,

diversity,

and

being true to yourself.

"off color daughter....I'm proud of you."

Baby Mason...thanks for the life lessons.....

And in the words of Mr. Rogers....

......So let's make the most of this beautiful day, 
Since we're together, we might as well say, 
Would you be mine? 
Could you be mine? 
Won't you be my neighbor? 

Won't you please, 
Won't you please, 
Please won't you be my neighbor? 

.....

We are alike in so many more ways than we are different.........

one day...

some day...

perhaps the world can and will embody the theological stance

of a man in a zip up sweater and lace up tennis shoes...

"won't you be my neighbor?"

Happy Thursday and  Blessings.......

This is off color daughters' friend "norman's
 baby----they call him floppy because he is not stuffed very well
and
you can see the t-dyed t-shirt color Norman used to stuff him
in the leg along with a pair of boxer...
Here you go Norman---we don't want floppy to feel left out!!!