Even at conferences

Babies.  Man, they are EVERYWHERE!  They are inescapable, even at academic and professional conferences.


Last week, at an academic conference for faculty, instructors, and university administrators, sure enough, there was a professor there with her toddler and nanny, all eating breakfast together like one happy family.  Granted, this professor was older, having already been tenured and teaching in the field for 15 years or so, but still, she brought her kid to the conference.  I wonder if she struggled with infertility at all, being that she is older with such a young child?  It's kind of sick how I feel like I'm always on the search for secret infertility stories now.  It's like I'm trying to find others, anyone, who is like me.  Like I'm looking for "my people" or like I'm part of some kind of club that nobody wants to be a member of.


Now I'm at a professional conference, for working practitioners.  Watch out!  Everywhere you turn there is a huge pregnant belly about to swing around and hit you.  There is a woman breast feeding her child over here, another pushing a stroller over there, and if you look over in the dining area there is a woman changing her baby's diaper on the table... without a changing pad... ewwwwwe!


And that's just among my peers.  There was a screaming kid across from me on the plain down here.   He was probably about three.  He screamed and kicked and cried and what did his mother do?  She put her head down with her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, over and over again!  Geez, if you are going to travel with your kid, exercise  some discipline people!  This woman had no business travelling with her son if she can't be the parent and handle his tantrums.  When he'd quiet down for a bit, she'd ask if he wanted to go get ice cream when they got off the plain?  Not as a tactic to bribe him to be quiet, but just to change the subject!  She was freakin' rewarding his bad behavior!  This is what I mean by my previous post about why I'll be a better mother.