Rubs me the wrong way

Chinese parents take very good care of their children. They smother them with tons of attention (it's an entire country of only children), and if the parents are busy the grandparents are more than happy to step in and take over. The little tykes are bundled up in winter until they actually resemble the Maggie Simpson five point star, complete with immobilized arms from all the padding. Chinese children are pampered... except for their rumps.

All children between the age of 1 and 4 are required by government law to wear pants with slits from front to back exposing their butts and bits. Okay, it's not the law, but basically ever kid wears these ridiculous pants. How can the parents do this to their children? First - don't the kids get cold? It seems silly to have them bundled to the 9's then let them run around with their tiny red balls exposed for jack frost to nip away at. Secondly - it must be uncomfortable. As a young male, back in the US, baby butts were a pretty rare thing for me to see, but the butts here look pretty red from rubbing them all day on the floor, sidewalk, etc. It must really hurt. And finally - how unsanitary is it? Letting my kid rub his truly unmentionables over the ground soaked black by dirt and rainwater seems like a terrible idea, but that doesn't stop anyone here. Cold, uncomfortable, unsanitary - not to mention degrading.

But when you're that young you don't know degrading from a busy intersection. Last week in the subway I saw a mother cradling her daughter, pants around the knees, over a trash can so she could pee into the plastic bag below. As horrified as I was I have to admit it wasn't shocking. The week before I saw one of the youngsters from my new favorite noodle place squatting next to the curb outside on a major motorway. It took me a minute or two to realize what was going on - but sure enough after a minute I saw his little brown creation beneath his squat, as he patiently looked around the busy intersection he was in, waiting for mom or dad to ... I have no idea what he was waiting for them to do, but it looked like this wasn't his first time pooping on the street in front of the restaurant (forcing me to think about the cleanliness inside this restaurant, which I try not to do). Unashamed, this split panted boy guarded his handy work until it could be dealt with. These ridiculous pants are worn by those too young to know otherwise.

The best of this story however, might be hearsay. If you go to the zoo in Shanghai, you'll see many animals, and lots of animal dung. You can even see human children's dung, which is visible in the children pooping area - a small concrete park littered with little presents left by the young visitors. I haven't seen it, but I've heard it's true and that's enough for me. Not only are the Chinese loving parents, they save on diapers too!