Mystery

You have to be of a certain age to remember when no one knew the sex of a baby until the baby was born. For decades now, science has taken away that bit of mystery from our lives. We know within weeks of a pregnancy if it will be a boy or a girl and names are picked out well before the arrival.

Science has not yet come to a place of predicting sexuality, in part because it hasn't been able to pinpoint a cause for sexuality. Latest studies suggest that while sexuality is set very early in life, it might be determined by a few different things, or perhaps the right combination of a few certain things. We don't know of a gay or straight gene. We don't know that hormone levels in a mother at a precise moment in gestation determines sexuality. We do know that for some it appears to have a genetic component and for some it appears to have to do with a mother's hormones or maybe even birth order. The problem is that there are exceptions to every pattern (which is the most we have---patterns), and the patterns are different between gay men and lesbians.

So, since we no longer have the anticipation and wonder about the sex of a child, could we replace that with anticipation and wonder about the child's sexuality? Who will s/he have a crush on as puberty sets in? Who will s/he take to the prom? Seems like there should be some wonder and mystery about children.

Okay, I'm only half serious about this post. (The other side of that is it's only a half joke, I suppose.) It's not really intended as an April Fools post, but I'm just really swamped with other things right now (must remember next year to not take on a writing assignment that will be due the week before Holy Week!) and this was the best I could do for today. That makes two not so serious posts in a row. The lent police will be after me before long.

We'll see if tomorrow is any better.