The pale skin, blue eyed, blonde hair, phenomenom!

Anyone who has ever had children will probably tell you that THE most beautiful children they have ever seen have been their own. That seems normal, right? I mean, we as parents and caregivers put so much time and energy into these little people, getting to know them, taking care of them, raising them, etc, that we cant help but think so.  So, with that being said, I am sure it comes as no surprise that I happen to think that I have three of the most beautiful tiny humans ever made. I mean, my hubby IS dead sexy and I'm not so bad either so they really had no choice but to come out good looking! Okay, okay, just kidding! Well, I am kidding about myself. What I say about my hubby is totally true! 

So, I am sure you are probably wondering what all this has to do with living in Thailand since this blog is supposed to be about that. Well, let me tell you. Apparently Thais love my kids. I kid you not, LOVE THEM! The other day we were being spontaneous (go us!) and decided to have our driver take us to the Tiger Zoo for our first outing without our orientation team. At this zoo there were so many awesome things to see and do. You could take pictures with a big tiger and a crocodile. You could feed a baby tiger. Heck, you could even feed big crocs and ride an elephant. Even with all of those cool and neat things to do and photograph, the single most photographed thing was probably my kids! We had experienced the pointing and stares and the touching their cheeks earlier in the week with our guides, but nothing to this degree. When we first walked in, there was this group behind us who was making a huge deal about the kids. They were snapping pictures and giggling over them, and it was actually quite funny. They even sat by us at the crocodile show and one young girl stood by them posing and taking pictures with them like they were the main attraction!

Earlier in the week when we had experienced something similar, but on a lesser scale, our guides told us that they see American children as little dolls. She said it was especially true with our kids because of their pale skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. They stand out in an all Thai crowd since they are dark skinned, dark hair, dark eyed, people.

I have to be honest though in that I don't like it much. It was funny at first how much attention they were attracting, but now it seems a little uncomfortable. Especially the touching part. People kept grabbing the baby's hand and touching her cheek. I think I used an entire bottle of Purell on just her at the zoo. With all of that being said, I think that this is where I have to learn to let go of some things, yet still be on guard on with others. It's a hard line to walk because the Thai people are so different. In the U.S. people tend to be very intolerant of children. No kids in come restaurants, trying to ban them on certain flights, and the list continues. Our guides thought it was ridiculous because they love children so much. They want them around and people in general are very accepting of them. You don't get the "oh crap" stare from a waitress here. No one has complained about a crying baby or kids laughing a little too loud in our hotel. It's just... different. And what is really funny is that I don't think of them as weird, but I do think of myself that way. Why do I feel that this is uncomfortable, and why don't I like it???  Questions, questions....

Well, my kids are ready for me so I guess I had better get going. Until next time, I hope all is well!
Kristen