Complaining about Color-Coded Cakes

I realized I'm not only behind the times but also a sourpuss when I read yesterday's story by Bob Shaw in the Pioneer Press: Boy? Girl? Ask the Cake.

It seems the latest fashion in how to expect when you're expecting is to have an ultrasound done to identify the baby's sex, but don't find out right then. Instead, have the technician write the result on a slip of paper and put in an envelope. Then give the envelope to a bakery, which makes you a cake that's yellow or some other agreed-upon neutral color outside. The inside of the cake, though, is solid pink or blue. Then hold a "reveal party" (yet another party, right, and opportunity for gift-giving) where you cut the cake in front of an audience.

Photo by Pioneer Press photographer Sherri LaRose-Chiglo

My main reaction to all of this was eye rolling, head banging, and a bit of groaning.

Nothing is private in this most personal moment; everything becomes entertainment. I score very low when it comes to holding anything sacred, but this crosses the line for me.

And even worse was this bit: "At the...party, guests wore pink or blue stickers, showing their preference." What??! Treating children as if they're a sporting event is too much.


One expectant mother was quoted at the end of the story as saying, "It's fun to wait to find out, but waiting for the whole nine months would be too long."

I know she's speaking without thinking of how a Scrooge like me would respond, but wow. If you can't wait to find out the sex of your baby, how are you going to put up with all the other delayed gratification you'll encounter as a parent?