It has gradually dawned upon me that we are fond of this well-utilised phrase for two reasons only. Firstly, it is the parental equivalent of talking about the weather. Every child has an age. Every age is non-confrontational, non-loaded, and just sort of there. An excellent conversation starter, middle, and end.
Secondly, it is the ultimate point of comparison. ‘Oh, 6 months?’ we say with mild interest, while our mind busily scans the child, looking for comparative height, weight, girth, hair, teeth, motor skills, speech, clinginess, and dribble. ‘My child is 6 months too.’ Both parents gaze contemplatively at their respective children, quietly assessing how 6-monthly they appear to be, in comparison to the other. It has to be the most unassuming comparative phrase that we are in possession of as parents. Quite safe. Harmless even. And yet…
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