If we aren't the best example of a culture obsessed with filling the gaping maw of materialism and greed, then I'll be a monkey's uncle (or aunt). What better example of all this than the push present -- that little something given to the person who pushes the baby out (fills out the adoption paperwork? worries the most?)
Personally, I received an incredibly touching card more beautiful than any diamond the day after my third daughter was born, so I'm inclined to believe expensive jewels aren't necessary (I was high on hormones and sitting on an ice pack. What can I say?)... but obviously not everyone agrees with me. Notably Tiffany's and Blue Nile...
Oh, and the couples featured in this New York Times story on the subject. According to the Baby Center survey highlighted therein, push presents are the not-so-secret desire of 55% of pregnant mothers. Advocates claim it's not just run away materialism or an invention of the jewelry industry, but an acknowledgement of the hard work and suffering that goes into bearing a child.
How could you argue with that? Well, for starters, rather than a diamond ring or ruby pendant how about the gifts that last a lifetime: Loving, doting, devoted fatherhood and co-parenting, a willingness to change diapers and get up in the middle of the night (sometimes for years), and financial and emotional support of new parents? Now those are presents worth fighting for...
