One of *those* people

Happened to be in a baby store the other day (people have babies, gotta get presents). These are one of those places where I think it can be really awkward for a guy, in this case a guy who doesn't have any children, as you feel as if everyone else secretly knows that you don't have a reason to be there. Kind of like being a bloke in a lingerie store.

However, baby shops are also quite fascinating due to all the stuff that is available for parents these days. When I talk to my parents and people from that generation, children were raised in furniture that was not far removed from a cardboard box and shredded newspaper. Now there are a million gadgets and fancy electronic toys to help your child grow to become the next world wonder.

One of the things I find interesting is prams. There's one pram which folds and unfolds itself with the touch of a button that triggers electric motors to drive the whole process (See Origami http://www.4moms.com/origami).

But of the regular prams where parents have to press levers, twist handles and fold stuff, they're all different and a little counter-intuitive for non-parents.

Anyway, I'd taken to amusing myself by trying to see if I could work out how to collapse each pram on display, valiantly waving off offers of help by the sales assistants. After working through all the models on display, I spotted one off to one side that looked radically different to all the others that I'd been playing with, so excited at the new challenger, I began to twist and prod buttons, trying to decipher its secrets when the owners of this particular pram walked over to see what I was doing.

Its quite embarrassing to discover that I'd been fervently trying to break someone's personal property, and I also learnt that it isn't wise to leave your pram unattended in a baby store...