Foreign Husbands Pay Off For Thai?
When I was first in Thailand during the early 2000s, I encountered numerous foreign guys looking for Thai wives or Thai women dreaming of finding foreign husbands. Granted that some of these Thai/foreign couples have wonderful and happy marriages, it was my observation that the majority of these marriage fell far short of what a marriage could and should be. First of all, the foreign guy usally speaks little to no Thai and the Thai women has little to no English. How can you know that you want to marry someone if you can hardly talk with them on a deep level? The answer is that you have low expectations for what you want out of marriage. As you can see from the article below (from "The Nation", one of Bangkok's English language newspapers), many Thai women see foreign husbands as an opportunity for financial security, greater social status. And the foreign guys are often seeking out a beautiful submissive Asian woman to cook, clean, and take care of their other "physical needs" (if you know what I mean).
On the plus side, foreign guys have a greater reputation for marital fidelity and not abusing their wives to their wives than do Thai men. This is a generalization, I know. I have known many Thai men who by all outward appearances love their wives very much, been faithful, and treatly them wonderfully. However, many Thai women have had the exact opposite experience and seek out foreign husbands in hopes of avoiding the abuse and heartache of their previous relationship(s).
Spin the Baby
Joshua's newest game is to spin around in his crib while he is sleeping. We put him down with his head going north (lengthwise) in the crib but when we come back later sometimes he has turned 45 degrees with his feet up on the crib bumper, sometimes turned 90 degrees with his head and feet jammed up against either side of the crib widthwise (this can't be all too comfortable), and then other times he has spun around almost 180 degrees so that he is facing the exact opposite direction of how we put him in the crib. At first we couldn't figure out how he did it, but we think he pushes off with his powerful, chunky thighs and spin his tail out (again and again in some cases). Then today, for the first time, we heard him crying and found that he had turned himself over for the first time and was on his belly, head up like the Sphinx, looking around and crying. Joshua is going to be a hyper-active terror on two feet once he has enough balance and coordination to walk. Having a baby is fun.
Surrenduring to Sleep
Everyone says that we have such a good baby. Do not let the boy decieve you. Joshua is an extrovert and a very social baby. He loves people when he is out in public and puts on a great public face. When guests come over, nine times out of ten he is asleep or very compliant and wide eyed so as to solicit comments such as "He's so cute!" or "What big eyes he has!". He eats it up. Joshua loves all the attention you heap on him. But, like all babies, he has his whiny crying side that doesn't want to go to sleep. Mommy & Dadddy say, "It's time to sleep Joshua" and Joshua's facial expression and flailing body movements say, "It's playtime!" But we love him, even if it is often a fight to get him to go down for a nap or to sleep at night. He struggles. He cries. He thrashes and moans and sighs. He wriggles his little arms out the swaddling cloth like a Baby Houdini. But when all is said and done, he finally goes down (to sleep, that is). As you can see in the picture, Joshua eventually puts his hands up and surrenders, submitting to the parental wisdom that sleep really is better than crying and thrashing about all night.
Joshua's Baptism
This past Sunday, we had Joshua baptized. It was wonderful to see Joshua formally recognized as a part of the covenant community of God's people at Grace Presbyterian Church. I know that Joshua will remember none of it, but he was as content as could be as I held him in my arms and Pastor Ron asked us the appropriate questions and sprinkled his little forehead. God has given his covenant promises to his people, both adults and children (Acts 2:39), and as Joshua grows up, he will be reminded that the waters of baptism signify God's promise to wash away the sins of all who trust in God, confessing Christ to be their Lord and Savior.