A piece titled, “A Bundle of Joy Isn’t Enough?” in this week’s New York Times is about a new practice of husbands giving women gifts, often jewelry, to reward them for having endured pregnancy and delivery.
No one is certain how this practice started, but I suspect I know the woman who conceived of it moments after conceiving. She’s one of those women who feel no occasion is complete unless it’s commemorated with a gift that requires insuring. “For Cinco de Mayo?” I imagine them cooing as they show their husbands photos of a ring they haven’t yet acquired.
This “baby mama gift” is illogical for those of us who feel it’s a privilege to experience carrying and giving birth to a baby. It also ignores the partner who’s going to be assembling furniture, mobiles, anything battery operated, and Tiny Tykes playthings … without expecting reciprocal cufflinks. The article makes no mention of those mothers who have more kids than fingers and could run out of space as well as what to do for the new mom who’s having post-partum depression. Is she entitled to a more serious piece of jewelry to compensate for the misery?
