Boys

The boy's side of the clothing department is maybe a third the size of the girl's side. The boy's clothing is simple and brown, blue or green...like a bruise. And the girl's clothes are so colorful and sweet, with little matching sunhats and sandals. The boys get two pairs of sandals to choose from. They better match your bruises.

The boy's toy section extends exactly the length of one aisle, and they include battery operated explosions, motors, and sticky goop to toss at windows and make stick to your ceiling. The girl's toys trail brightly across three aisles and sparkle and glitter and talk.

Even in the health department the girls are catered to, with six different girly toothbrushes to choose from, all covered in Dora the explorer, splashes of color and scratch and sniff handles. The boys are offered a Bob the Builder toothbrush.

It's obvious what I'm attracted to - the bright, colorful, sparkly, clean, girl things. But when I leave the store I remember that I have Luke. Luke, who runs towards the stairs when he sees the gate is down, who sneaks over to the cabinet when he notices the locks are off and ends up sitting in my casserole dishes. Luke, who sits on my closet floor trying to figure out how to put on high heel shoes, and who likes to sit for hours under the deck, putting rocks and dirt in his mouth. Luke, who enjoys his bath so much that he'll run, naked, as fast as his chubby legs will carry him toward the sound of running water.

I don't miss the scratch and sniff or the glitter very much when I remember Luke.