One thing that people said after Etta was born (and then kept saying after Mae was born) is, "Boys are different!"
It really rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, come on people. Can't we be a tad bit more enlightened than that? My girls are not into pink, princesses, hearts, glitter - anything even remotely "girlie".
But then we had a boy.
And then another.
I have to say ...
Boys.
Are.
Different.
If I had an Instagram account I would probably be posting many a picture daily with #BoysAreDifferent.
Because they just are.
When Etta was a toddler we would spend hours outside (not necessarily all at once) studying bugs, flowers, dirt, leaves, birds, etc. She is the one who slowed me down and made me realize that you can look at a tulip for 20 minutes. Or that watching a robin fight and eventually conquer a worm is definitely an acceptable reason to push back bed time for at least a half an hour.
But all the things that she did she did while staying fairly tidy. (Unless it was mud play. She did not stay tidy during mud play.) And while listening to directions. "Etta, stay in our yard, don't go in the street and don't touch anything you're not supposed to." And she wouldn't.
Now you hear me saying things like, "Russell!! Get out of the street and put your pants back on!!!" Or Bob's voice from outside the other day, "Russell!! Don't pee on the dog!!" Hence #BoysAreDifferent.
The example from today that finally prompted me to write this post.
We walked Mae to preschool and dropped her off. Russell was crying because he didn't want to go home. [Alone. With his boring old mom.] So I was trying to distract him.
Me: "Russell!! Look! A bug!"
Russell: "Bug! Bug!"
Me: [Poking the roly-poly causing it to roll up] "Where did the bug go?"
Russell: [Eyes light up when he spots it.] "Right dere!"
STOMP
Russell: "I got it!!"
#BoysAreDifferent
 |
| This pic has nothing to do with my post. But I've had it for awhile and I just adore it. |
I totally know that there are girls that don't follow directions and probably try to pee on their dog too. And that there are boys out there who love to sit still and follow every direction that they are given. This is just an example of my personal experience with two girls and two boys in one family. We also throw in a bit of nature vs nurture with our adoption. I did read the book "Why Gender Matters" a few years ago. Boys and girls are different. And that's okay. I personally don't believe that clothes, hair cuts or toy choices define what a boy or girl is. But there are some definite hormonal differences that make each individual person unique. If you haven't read this book, I completely recommend it.
