I asked my 6-year old, who takes life very literally, if I could unbutton her belly-button.
Her response?
A very dramatic, as if I were about to push a button to set off a nuclear bomb:
"Mom, don't! My insides will pour out and it will hurt!"
A dear friend forwarded me a funny email that said if you unbutton your belly-button, your butt would fall off. I laughed.
In one of his books, Author
Robert Fulghum pondered belly-button removal and it's implications. After all, it is the life-connection with mother before birth. That is true. It was a very thought-provoking discussion. I'm sorry I don't remember which book; I read several. They were all amusing.
Not as amusing as my sweet, anxious, and lovable Child B.