Wednesday, September 28, 2005

My Lizard Brain Wants Babies

The relentless vitality of human reproductive biology is quite staggering. I suppose if our species must survive, then biology must push ever onward.

Many years ago, I read a fantastic fiction book called "Raptor Red", which was prehistoric life told from the point of view of the dinosaur. Many anthropomorphic moments - so, a little iffy - but marvellous reading. Jim and I read parts of it to each other all the way to Calgary. Very entertaining, with shouts of "Rrrraaaarrgghhhh!" and punctuated hollerings of "Snort! Grrrr!!"

It was while reading "Raptor Red" that I started calling the biological part of myself my "lizard brain".

Anyway, the lizard brain definitely wants to have another baby. Logically, I (all at the same time):
-do want Sprout to have a sibling
-don't want any more babies so that someday I can resume my passion for doing stained glass and other toxic hobbies
-think I'm too old to have babies, or too old to have healthy babies
-whine that I'm too old to be up at all hours of the night again
-know that my 'dinosaur dad' husband thinks he's too old to do it all again
-know that even though I feel more experienced and prepared for a second child, colic or a bad birth experience could sideswipe me good

That's the logical side of me. The lizard brain, on the other hand, wants to snatch up and snuggle every short, chubby person that it sees. I saw the cutest baby on the bus yesterday, for example. He had the fuzzy, chubby, happy appearance that breastfed babies have, and sharp little brown eyes looking at everything. I wanted to smooch him.

I'm on the lizard brain bus, and I don't know where I'll get off.

4 Comments:

Blogger liz said...

Well, my mother used to say, "it is never wrong to bring a child into the world."

But then, she promptly had an additional 7 or so with a severely abusive man, and was then killed in a car accident ferself so they now have only him as their parent.

So maybe it should be amended..."it is never wrong for nice people to bring children into the world"?

12:09 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually, you're onto something with your 'lizard brain' thing. The reptilian brain is a well documented thing - it's the part of our brains responsible for our base instincts. Read more
http://www.crystalinks.com/reptilianbrain.html

1:16 pm  
Blogger Gwen said...

Oh, that's probably why I call it that!

5:24 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The lizard brain, on the other hand, wants to snatch up and snuggle every short, chubby person that it sees"

so then where's my hug?

-jenny

11:51 pm  

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