Being a parent is giving me a greater awareness of the wisdom of Spiderman’s Uncle Ben. In particular, I draw attention to the quote that is oft attributed to that character:
Our little boy David is now just about eight weeks old. At such a young age, he has little to no control over his circumstances or his welfare. He is reliant on his parents to care for him, to protect him, and to ensure he can grow to an age where he can start taking some responsibility for himself.
As a parent, I have a duty to provide this level of care. Sometimes, that requires difficult, but necessary decisions, that are reflective of the great responsibility that has been bestowed upon me.
Other times, however, it presents the opportunity to have just a little fun. To focus a bit more on the power, and a little less on the responsibility.
I find there to be something oddly fantastic about babies wearing pants that have a ridiculously high waistband. In combination with an overly large butt created by wearing a nappy underneath, a pair of pants pulled up high hints at some small semblance of a maturity and wisdom far beyond the actual age of the baby. In the case of a boy, such as David, it is almost like transporting him 80 years into the future, to the time when he himself is a senior citizen.
I’m sure we have all seen the nice old men who wear their sensible dress pants high. This old man would normally also have a button up long sleeved shirt and possible a fedora. The old man you are imagining is endearing, right? Go ahead and try to deny it.
This leads to the question, why not bring that same endearing quality to the present? Why does he need to wait 80 years to benefit from that kind of goodwill? Why not combine the endearing nature of that old man you have imagined, with the undeniable cuteness of a new baby?
Much to Hannah’s chagrin, sometimes I simply can’t help myself. The opportunity to wield my power over the boy becomes too much for me to resist.
At times like that, those pants simply must ride high.
