When I was in 5th grade there was a 2nd grader that puzzled my friend and me. About once a week or so Anne or I would see the kid in the lunchroom and discuss whether the kid was a he or a she. It was quite a puzzle. Every now and then one of us would notice something that was a “clue” to the child’s identity, but it never gave use a final answer to the boy/girl question. At one point we found out the 2nd grader’s name, but it was something androgynous like “Pat” (although I don’t think it was Pat – too bad). The school year ended, we moved on to middle school and never did learn the gender of our “Pat”.

This comes to mind because lately, when driving the car or walking around I often find myself musing, “Is that a boy or girl?” in reference to some teen-aged kid I see. I guess I never will figure it out. Wow, I sound old…