My son wants to be a big brother, and his endless campaigning for a younger sibling is getting increasingly shameless.
While driving Caleb to school I heard a heavy, dramatic sigh from the back seat.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I'm sad," Caleb replied.
"Why?"
"Because I STILL don't have a baby sister."
"Does it have to be a sister?"
"Yes."
"Well, if Mommy and Daddy have a second kid, it could be a boy as easily as a girl. We can't control that."
"Ohhh, OK. Can we make it a girl by giving it a girl name?"
"No, giving a boy a girl's name won't make him a girl."
I decided not to get into transgendered issues, as that struck me as a bit heavy a conversation to have with a four year old while driving to school. Introducing the idea of someone being born with a female brain and gender identity with male or ambiguous genitalia struck me as a bit much for the moment.
We drove for a few more minutes and then he said "Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"When my baby sister is born, Mommy will have to make her a baby size apron for her to wear in the kitchen!"
"Will she now? Like the one you wear, the one that was Mommy's when she was a kid?"
"Yes. I'll help her pick the fabric. I want the baby apron to have cars! And we'll have to get a new bed, or put together the crib that we took apart and put in the basement."
"I think it's a bit early to work out logistics."
"Oh, OK."