Mommy What's That?

I know it's only a matter of time before someone asks me, "mommy what's that?"  The kids are always asking what's-what.  But this is a first.  In any Wawa, 7-11, Duane Reade, bodega in Israel what is by the counter at check out? Gum? candy? cigarettes? All GREAT guesses, but not for China.

Durex condoms has one of the largest displays, pretty much, in every store.

Family Mart, a Japanese based convenient store has apparently opened the market for Chinese to shop, pay bills and apparently buy birth control and sex toys all while getting their morning coffee or lunch break. And making an already interesting dialogue with my 4 year old something else...

Durex Breaking Sexual Taboos in FamilyMart Shanghai, granted the article is from 2009, clearly this is a fad that is staying in style.  While China has become more lax with its one-child per family policy Chinese are still being safer. Turns out with the recent change on the family planning policy many Chinese are reluctant to expand families because of the high cost of raising a child.  This gets me thinking, if the Chinese have been limited to one child all these decades and now the rules are changing but they are not expanding because of the cost why in our society can we have 4, 5, 6 children? (see my previous post Hasidic Chinese). Private school education cost as much per child in Shanghai as it does in New York City.  Rents are also highly comparable to Manhattan rents. Granted I know not everyone lives in NYC but that is my frame of reference.

For someone who things he just rolled out of my tummy, as he informed me today, I'm sure this will be revisited again and again and again, much like most of his deep thoughts that make me mentally exhausted many days of the week.

"Mommy can I ask you one more question?" It's never just one more question. Paybacks Mom, right?