X: A Fabulous Child’s Story

By: Lois Gould(Abridged Version)

Characters

Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Mr. and Mrs. JonesRelative #1
Relative #2
Clerk
Other Child #1
Other Child #2
Psychiatrist


Narrator 1: Once upon a time, a baby named X was born. This baby was named X so that nobody could tell whether it was a boy or a girl. Its parents could tell, of course, but they couldn’t tell anybody else. They couldn’t even tell Baby X, at first. It was all part of a very importance Secret Xperimet, known as Project Baby X. The smartest scientists were paid to write the Official Instruction Manual for Baby X’s parents, and most importance of all, to find the right parents to bring up Baby X. Fortunately, the scientists found the Joneses, who really wanted to raise an X more than any other kind of baby. Mr. and Mrs. Jones had to promise they would take equal turns caring for X, feed it, and sing it lullabies.

Narrator 2: The day the Joneses brought their baby home, friends and relatives came over to see it. None of them knew about the Secret Xperiment... So the first thing they asked was what kind of a baby X was.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones: “It’s an X!”

Narrator 2: Well, nobody knew what to say. But, of course the Joneses were not joking.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones: “It’s an X!”

Narrator 2: And that’s absolutely all they would say, which made the relatives and friends very angry. They felt embarrassed about having an X in the family.

Relative 1: “People will think there’s something wrong with it.”

Relative 2: “There is something wrong with it!”

Narrator 2: Clearly, nothing was wrong. Nevertheless, none of the relatives felt comfortable about buying a present for Baby X. But the Official Instruction Manuel had warned the new parents that this would happen, so they didn’t fret about it.

Narrator 1: Mr. and Mrs. Jones had to be Xtra careful about how they palyed with little X. They knew if they kept saying how strong and active it was, they’d be treating it more like a boy than an X. But, if all they did was kiss and tell how sweet it was, they’d be treating it more like a girl than an X. The Manual advised plenty of bouncing and cuddling, both since X need to be strong and sweet.

Narrator 2: Meanwhile, the Joneses were worrying about other problems- toys and clothes. On his first shopping trip Mr. Jones went to the store.

Mr. Jones: “I need some clothes for my new baby.”

Clerk: “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Mr. Jones: “It’s an X.”

Narrator 2: Now, all over the store there were sections marked Boys or Girls. There were Boy pajamas and Girls underwear, Boys fire engines and Girls housekeeping sets. The Official Instruction Manuel advised plenty of everything, so the Joneses bought all kinds of toys. The boy doll cried, “Popa.” The girl doll said “I am President of General Motors.” The Manual advised that X should never be made to feel embarrassed or ashamed about what it wanted to play with. Likewise, if X fell down and cried, the Joneses were never to say “Brave little Xes don’t cry.”

Narrator 1: Then, it was time for X to start school. The Joneses were really worried, because the school was even more full of rules for boys and girls. There would be boy games and girl games, boy secrets and girl secrets, boy lines and girl lines. There would even be a bathroom marked Boys and another marked Girls. What would happen to poor Baby X?

Narrator 2: In preparation the Joneses asked X’s teacher if the class could line up alphabetically. And they asked if X could use the principal’s bathroom, because all it would say was “Bathroom.” X’s teacher promised to help. But nobody could help X with the biggest problem- the other children. Some of the children tried to find out by asking X tricky questions. When X said its favorite toy was a doll, everyone decided X must be a girl. But then X said that the doll was really a robot, and that X had computerized it and told it to bake brownies and clean up the kitchen. After X said that, the other children knew they wanted to see Xs doll! But, the other children continued to make faces and giggle behinds X’s back.

Narrator 1: That night X confessed school was a terrible place for an X. Once more the Joneses reached for their Instruction Manual. They read that other children have to obey all the silly boy-girl rules because that’s what their parents taught them. Lucky X didn’t have to stick to the rules. X could just be itself. “P.S. We’re not saying it’ll be easy.” The next morning they all felt better and X went back to school. That day there was a seven letter world spelling bee, a seven lap relay race, and a seven layer cake bake contest. X almost won them all except that it forgot to light the oven. This only proves that nobody’s perfect. One of the other children noticed something else, too.

Other Child #1: “Winning or losing doesn’t seem to count to X. X seems to have fun being good with both boy and girl skills.”

Other Child #2: “Come to think of it, maybe X is having twice as much fun as we are.”

Narrator 2: From then on, really funny things began to happen. Susie suddenly refused to wear a pink dress and insisting on overalls like X’s in order to climb monkey bars. Jim, the class football nut, started wheeling a doll carriage containing his football uniform around the field and singing Rockabye Baby to it. He told his family X did the same thing… and X was now the team’s star quarterback.

Narrator 1: Their parents weren’t one bit pleased. Susie and Jim were forbidden to play with X anymore. But, it was too late. The other children stayed mixed up and happy and free and refused to go back to the way they’d been before X.

Narrator 2: Finally, the parents called an emergency meeting of the Parents’ Association. They sent a report to the principal stating that X was a “disruptive influence.” If the Joneses refused to tell whether X was a boy or girl, then X must take an Xamination given by the school psychiatrist. If the test showed X a boy, it would have to obey boy rules. If it proved X was a girl, it would have to obey girl rules. And, if X turned out to be some kind of misfit, then X would have to be expelled from school. The principal reluctantly notified X’s parents.

Narrator 1: At Xactly 9 the next day, X reported for the test. The principal along with Parent’s Association Committee, X’s teacher, X’s classmates, and the Joneses waited in the hall. You could hear the psychiatrist’s low voice, asking hundreds of questions, and X’s higher voice, answering hundreds of answers.

Narrator 2: At last, the door opened. The psychiatrist looked terrible. He looked as if he were crying.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones (sighing): “Oh dear!”

Narrator 1: Wiping his eyes, the psychiatrist began, in a hoarse whisper.

Psychiatrist (whispering through tears): “In my opinion… in my opinion… young X here… is just about… just about the least mixed-up child I have ever Xamined.”

Narrator 1: The Parents Committee was angry and bewildered. How could X have passed the Xam?

Narrator 2: Didn’t X have an identity problem?

Narrator 1: Wasn’t X a misfit?

Narrator 2: Why was the psychiatrist crying?

Psychiatrist: “Don’t you see? I’m crying because it’s wonderful! X has absolutely no identity problem! It’s not mixed up. It’s not a misfit. X knows perfectly well what it is! Don’t worry; you’ll all know one of these days. And you won’t need me to tell you.

Narrator 1: With that the doctor began to push trhough the crowd. He hugged X’s parents.

Psychiatrist: “If I ever have an X of my own I sure hope you’ll lend me your instruction manual.”

Narrator 2: Later that day X’s friends found X in the back yard playing with a very tiny baby that none of them had ever seen before.

Other Child #1: “It got cute dimples.”

Other Child #2: “It has got husky biceps. So, what kind of baby is it?”

Narrator 1: X broke into a grin.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones (exclaiming proudly): “It’s a Y!”


The story of baby X raises gender identity issues that we do not customarily address or realize. The parents in the story are the idolized representation of ideal parents. When their baby was born, all that mattered to them was that their baby be happy and healthy. This mentality allowed their child to express itself and be whatever it wanted to be, regardless of the pressures society places on it to conform to gender role expectations. Baby X’s parents continuously encountered people in various settings questioning their baby’s sex. When the people did not receive the expected answer, girl or boy, they became confused and frustrated, for they could not fit the baby into a preconceived mold. The environment created for baby X enabled it to become a more well-rounded and unique individual, free from the stereotypical norms expected of girls and boys during childhood.
The story made me more aware of the social construction of gender and the tremendous impact it has on how we raise our children. The child rearing practice adhered to by baby X’s parents is quite noteworthy, and a healthy way to raise one’s child. It permits the child to find their own form of expression and be comfortable and confident with the person that they are. This story can be correlated with issues surrounding gay marriage. Society could not accept baby X for who it was, just as many people are unable to acknowledge or accept the union of two females or two males.