'Daddy's Roommate'

I was in the kids' section of the Berkeley public library with Elliot when we came across a copy of "Daddy's Roommate." I ended up sitting down and reading it to him.

Like "Heather Has Two Mommies," this book has kicked up some controversy over the years, and it's been reported that Sarah Palin once tried to ban it from the public library in Wasilla, Alaska. (I'm pretty sure Berkeley's library is safe.)

The story is told from the perspective of a boy whose dad has a male "roommate." It details all the ordinary stuff the two men do together (clean the house together, eat together, sleep together, etc.). Near the end of the book, the kid learns that they're gay, but he's reassured that this is just "one more kind of love."

I like that the book shows the everyday normality of the gay couple, without trying to bowdlerize their gayness. I mean, this couple is super-gay. Case in point: One of them is dusting the coffee table in cut-offs.

But the first page did give me pause.

"My Mommy and Daddy got a divorce last year."

The D-word?? Jesus, are you really going to make me explain divorce to a 3-year-old?

That's about a billion times more terrifying to a small child than two dudes shacking up.