Apparently, Young Adorablescent will never have children. But, if he does, 
he would want to know the gender from before they are born.
Bemused Mother: But why? I mean, yah okay, if you want to, but why?
Young Adorablesecent: (Facepalm) You have to know, Ma. It is what a good parent does!
BM: Wuh? A good parent needs to know the gender of their child since before the child is born?
YA: Sure! You have to prepare. You know. Girls are different to boys…
His voice trails off, he waves his hand and stares off into mid space.
BM: Sure they are different, but not in infancy.
YA: (not listening) Girls and Boys learn differently, have different psyches. They have different needs.
(His expensive education has taught him something. BM still has to figure out what, though.)
BM: So? One does not need to prepare from the time the baby is in the womb!
YA: Ma, you’re not listening!. The parents need to know. To mentally prepare, prepare the rooms and the furniture.
BM: You mean the colours?
YA: That’s there as well. (nodding and looking pensive). But from their birth, each gender is different.
BM: You can’t compartmentalise. Gender differences are fluid.
YA: (Two palms on face) Ma, that is different. Even a gender fluid boy is different to a gender fluid girl.
BM: (calculating in her head how much money she can claim back from said expensive school for mis education) Wuh? Firstly you cannot tell gender fluidity from a sonogram. Secondly, a child’s needs are not different from birth.
YA: They aaaare!! Listen!
BM: (Shuts up and waits)
YA: See. You need to be prepared. A boy thinks and behaves differently to a girl. A boy will need different things, a girl will need different things. Furniture, toys, books, music.
BM: I never made such differences between the two of you. I dressed my infant girl in blue and my infant boy in pink – indiscriminately with other colours. I don’t think it made any difference to either of you. People were confused, but neither of you were. Furniture? Décor can be in any neutral colour. Any needs can be met as they arise. One does not buy 18 years worth of stuff before birth.
YA: You have to be mentally prepared. Those extra few weeks will fore arm you.
BM: Why would you need to be mentally prepared from before birth? Unless it is just a preference. If you just want to know, fine. There is no need to rationalise your curiosity. Parenting evolves over time, and knowing a child’s sex or gender from before birth is not a mandatory requirement of its quality.
YA keeps staring into mid-space, trying to formulate his thoughts.
Suddenly grasping that this was really not a lesson which YA needed to learn in his mid teens, BM assumes the role of Confident Mother. “Go shower. Dinner is ready”
Adorablescents 