Ms M and I are having our first Valentine's day. Not that we believe in that commercialised nonsense of course. I gave her a lovely book about quantum physics, thoughtfully uninscribed incase Master M develops a further interest in such things and decides to show it to a friend. Master M is absolutely comfortable with his mum being gay, and also quite confident that most of his school-friends aren't as emotionally mature as he is. Sensible boy.
Which brings me neatly to the penguin thing.
Apparently, lovely bobo promised by text not to mention it ... having heard me refer to it at the weekend. I appreciate the discretion, but decided to share anyway.
I call Ms M my special penguin. Not in a sickly "aw, diddum widdums" kind of way ... it's a kind of soulmate-plus if you like.
A wide range of birds and animals form same-sex monogamous couples, but penguins do it with particular aplomb. They not only form deep and long-lasting attachments, gay penguin couples will raise orphaned babies. They also try to hatch rocks ... (bless) ... which led researchers to give them real eggs to sit on and then nurture - which they do with great success. Penguin families come in all shapes and sizes, all blends of sex and gender, without any apparent negative impact on their offspring.
It's a funny thing, this not-really-step-parenting thing. Master M doesn't need another mum, he's got Ms M and his step-mum as well as his dad. I pictured myself as a kind of live-in-youth-group-leader type ... but it definitely feels a wee bit more parental than that. So, clearly, as well as being Ms M's special penguin, I'm Master M's other carer-penguin.
Funnily enough, I think I remember seeing that tick-box on the permission slip for his last school trip ...
8 comments:
OK. Here's my penguin story [from the days when it wasn't verboten for children to talk to strangers].
Mother of shy little girl is surprised when her daughter chats happily to two nuns sitting next to them on a bus. As they get off the mother says to the nuns "I was so pleased that my daughter talked to you. She's usually very shy." One of the nuns replies "Ah, you see, she thought we were penguins!"
Awww ♥Stray♥, I would have been good to my word. Pet names of fond endearment are always a special magic best left secret (or, there's nothing wrong with a bit of "aw, diddum widdums" between lovers).
PS: Though it has a hetro slant, I thought this description of Romantic Penguins might give you some hints and tips. It might at least explain any fondness for fish.
Aw, the penguin thing is sweet and I, at least, enjoyed sharing it :-) Something about penguins that is completely endearing without being at all cloying. A kind of genderless, or poly-gendered, sweetness that is equally attractive to those of any orientation (or do I mean to a certain kind of peculiar soul of any orientation?). Anyway, I think it's LOVELY.
A book on quantum physics, I ask you! She wasn't joking you know :)
Aw! Wouldn't it be cool if nuns really were Penguins? Thank you anticant, that has made me smile :)
Bobobobobobo - funnily enough one of the first things lovely Ms M gave me was a shiny pebble. *sigh*
Jean - thank you muchly - I think I understand entirely why that small boy kidnapped a penguin a couple of years ago .... they are just so cuddlesome, and yes, wonderfully un-boxed-in.
Hey penguin lady ... I think I should point out, in the name of fairness, that you bought me a very lovely bunch of daffodils ... with coriander. Yum.
If nuns really were penguins they'd do less damage to young minds - and in some cases young bottoms - than some the real ones do.
But they can be quite sweet. Remember Sister Wendy gushing about Art? Not that old harpy Mother Teresa, though.
Hey anticant, I remember Sister Wendy. She was quite cool, wasn't she? Absolutely in agreement about Mother Theresa too. Do you remember the documentary 'exposing' her as a crypto-fascist? Most amusing indeed.
Awww Stray, Ms MMMmmmmm gave you a pebble ... I hope she didn't ask you to choose another pebble, and start to map out the dynamics of the whole Strayland family. That would give the pebble a whole different meaning!
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