Great Parenting Moments: Maybe Peep is Transgender

Okay parenting is tough and my son is a tough kid to raise. But there are moments when you just realize you're doing it right and tonight was one of them.

Jacob used to like a show called "Peep and the Big Wide World," which featured "Quack," a pompous blue duck (who looked more like an eggplant), "Cheep," a rather bitchy (if I may use that word talking about a kid's show) red robin, and Peep, a small yellow chick. The whole thing is narrated by Joan Cusack, which of course makes me continually think of Addams Family Values.

Hell here's a sample, which includes their friend "Beaver Boy," which I admit always makes me laugh a bit:



Today is the first day of my son's "February Vacation." Yeah, they don't just get President's Day off, they get a whole week. Back in my day...well, that's another story. I did have to drag him into my work (all too often what I have to do with him when he has off) but I made sure we spent most of the day together. Chinese Food (at one of my favorites outside of Chinatown, Great Szechuan in Murray Hill area of Manhattan), a long walk in Prospect Park (including a stop at the Audubon Center), tried a new pizza place (South Brooklyn Pizza in Park Slope, GREAT pizza but $4 a slice!!! I usually go for $1 pizza at midnight coming home late from work), then relaxing on the couch watching Curious George (used to be one of his favorites, though not so much anymore).

The Curious George episode had something about chickens laying eggs. I made a reference to ducks and my son asked if ducks laid eggs. I said yes, the females do. He then referred to the show "Peep," saying, "Quack is a male...Chirp is a female...and I don't know about Peep."

I agreed that they don't make Peep's gender clear, unlike Quack and Chirp.

Jacob thought about it then said, "Maybe Peep is transgender."

I nearly burst out laughing, but suppressed it, simply saying, "maybe." Boy was I proud. To him it would be totally natural for Peep to be transgendered.

Of course this is mostly thanks to his mother, who is a Karate instructor at the Center for Anti-Violence Education, a dojo that is open only to women and transgendered (wrote about it a couple of times on Daily Kos), and every Thursday (a day I work late...and often have that $1 pizza for a midnight dinner) he stays in the childcare room at the dojo. So he has met transgendered folks and interacted with them in an open and comfortable setting.

Gotta say, tonight I feel pretty good as a parent! We really can teach our kids good things.

I'll finish off once again (for those who missed it!) with my son doing the elements song:



(after all...we are trying to get that video to go viral!)