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From: rsellens@watdcsu.UUCP (Rick Sellens - Mech. Eng.)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: How do you get a boy?
Message-ID: <1200@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 2-Apr-85 11:54:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1200
Posted: Tue Apr  2 11:54:41 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 21-May-85 00:17:58 EDT
References: <1660SGL@PSUVM> <237@aluxz.UUCP>
Reply-To: rsellens@watdcsu.UUCP (Rick Sellens - Mech. Eng.)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 35
Summary: 

In article <237@aluxz.UUCP> kolwicz@aluxz.UUCP (kolwicz) writes:
>An interesting thing happens when you see your child born - you turn into
>a parent.  Implicit in this state of being is (among many other things)
>the fact that it really, really doesn't matter what sex your child is.
>Especially in this day and age.

I half agree, before my son was born I wasn't sure whether I would prefer
a boy or a girl, but now that we've got him I wouldn't want anyone else.
Still, boys and girls are different, and I expect it would be a richer
experience to have some of each if you get the chance.

I would also suggest that if it matters to you what sex your child is,
then it matters, period! It might be nicer if it didn't, but we can only
go so far in changing who we are.

>Fortunately, short of sorting out your sperm under a microscope, 
>there is nothing you can do to increase the probability
>that conception results in a male baby.  In fact, the odds are slightly
>in favor of a female being born.
>Kevin Kolwicz
>AT&T Bell Labs, Allentown PA

For some strange reason my wife and I were wondering about this the other
night, so I looked up some statistics in the 1985 World Almanac. (That
useful little book of bizarre information.) It gives birth statistics
for the US broken down by sex. The numbers showed that there were about
5% more boys born each year than girls. On the other hand, women make up
a larger portion of the population because they live about 9% longer.


Rick Sellens
UUCP:  watmath!watdcsu!rsellens
CSNET: rsellens%watdcsu@waterloo.csnet
ARPA:  rsellens%watdcsu%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa