To the man in the market today, and all others like him:  Just because I, or any woman, is visibly pregnant, we are not public property.  The rules of decorum, courtesy, and decency still apply.  My bulging belly does not give you license to stop minding your own damn business.  Touching women without permission is not okay, nor is commenting on their body size, shape, or type.  Nor does my gestating state give you liberty to comment on what I am or am not putting into my body at any given time.

Last night, as Cristian was getting ready to go to sleep he asked if he could talk to me. This is how the conversation went:

Him: "I was called a name at school today."
Me: "Really? What?"
Him: "Well...can I say it without you getting mad?"
Me: "Of course!"
Him: "I was playing with a friend of mine, and this other boy asked if we wanted to play with him. We said no once we realized what he was playing."
Me: "What was he playing?"
Him: "He was throwing rocks at other kids in the playground."
Me: "That's not nice! Then what happened?"
Him: "He called me a 'pussy', then he said, 'oh, I'm sorry PUSSIES.'"
Me: "And what did you say?"
Him: "I said, 'At least you know how to pluralize!'" (That's my boy!)
Me: "How did that make you feel?"
Him: "I really don't care what people think of me, I just thought you should know."
Me: "Do you want to talk about what you think that word means?"
Him: "Nah! You can tell me when I'm older."

Now, the boy that called my son a "pussy" is the same age as my son...eight. My son has also been called a "fag" (last year) and when my daughter was in the 4th grade and nine years old, a classmate of hers tried to spread a rumor that Karina was pregnant, because she had food poisoning and went home sick. My head is spinning. Are kids growing up that much faster these days? What can we do to maintain our children's innocence??