Earlier today I had breakfast at Bean Town in Sierra Madre. My friends have an eighteen month old son who is maybe the cutest toddler ever. Their family moved to northern California a few years back and as I dearly miss them, while they visit I try to savor as much time with them as possible – hence the 9am breakfast on a Saturday morning. But after a few hours at Bean Town, the reality of their drive back north today set in and it was time to end the sweet reunion.
We slowly strolled out of Bean Town, deciding to walk together to the bank. Side note – if you’ve never been to Sierra Madre it is absolutely wonderful, I feel like I have a bit of a crush on the whole town and it is only a matter of time before I wind up there. It is like a small town mountain community nestled just outside of the sometimes soul less seeming other parts of my native Southern California. Trust me; if you go there you will want to move there also.
As we were meandering up the street towards the bank, a young woman passed us pushing a baby about the same age as my friend’s in a stroller. The baby was clad in a jacket, hat, leg warmers but peculiarly wearing no bottom what so ever. Yes, my friends no diaper, no underpants, no pants, note even a binky to shield his little manhood from all of Sierra Madre residents ambling about on a quaint Saturday morning. And worse yet, he had, as one of my friends bore witness to, what could only be described as, his words not mine, a baby boner.
If this baby was a grown man his partial nudity would be considered lewd, indecent and even a crime, right? Or at the very least socially unconventional and perhaps more suitable summer behavior. The lines are grayer for children, but I still question this mother’s choice of going to the length of putting her son in leg warmers but failing to provide him with bottom covers – he was obviously cold. I have heard of parents experimenting with nudity as a means of expediting the potty training process, which might have been the case this morning; still this seems both socially inappropriate and indecent. I know also young children love to be naked – it is understandable – but again, still behavior more appropriate for home not public. Finally, it is very possible that the child had an accident but unbelievable the mother found herself with no other item of clothes for the boy. Not meaning to be a prude, but I think naked baby should have stayed home.
7 comments:
I work a little in de Sierra Madre's each week. Very familiar with the Beaner. The workers are great.
I like your writing. That's a funny story. I guess they start them young in the SM. Now I think I know one reason why you wanna settle in SMadre 1 day!
Maybe it was a "Reborn"?
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=6517455&page=2
Credit Cathy for that story! ;)
a little fresh air to ease diaper rash perhaps? Love your blog, a perfect hiatus to move towards your dream job, look forward to reading about it.
i don't think reborns are anatomically correct. i happened to catch that the other night and it was very creepy.
could be diaper rash though. still, even a binky would provide air and coverage.
My theory on the pants-less baby is that baby had an accident. But, you never know. People in Sierra Madre do things differently. They take their dogs to restaurants. They take girl scout troops to coffee shops and put 3-4 of them on the couch next to adult customers as to squish the other customers. They have no shame in walking with their pants-less baby down the street in the middle of winter.
stacy sounds like you have issues with sierra madre. perhaps you need to return to the artist way to get to the heart of your resentment.
I am glad I never saw naked baby. Poor baby.
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