Thursday, May 01, 2008 
My mom raised us in as gender-neutral a household possible given being a divorced mom to a boy and a girl born twelve months apart. See? That's still funny to me. I chuckle. Never one to let biological determinism taint my Weltanschauung, I set about raising my children the same way. The first flags went up as the boys both became mobile, and then a whole field of flags flew up once our daughter was born. They liked all the same things, but viewed them verrrry differently. According to sex, I must wearily admit, as another naive parent falls victim to belief in nurture over nature.
Give my daughter a sandwich, and she will open and close a corner, making kissing sounds. Give one of the boys the same sandwich, and he will chew it into the shape of a gun and wipe out the entire household.
At least there's the public school system, ready to teach broader ideals, such as Healthy Choices. I'm dying over their Healthy Choices. They dutifully spit out the exercises, essays, drawings, and principles, and then come up with something out of a NEVER, EVER DO THIS manual.
I give you my daughter, making Healthy Choices by exercising with her jump rope, drinking lemonade, and wearing a helmet while riding her skateboard. All in a hoop-skirted, puffy-sleeved, eighteenth-century ball gown.
I write. A lot.
I also design stuff and collect funny things kids say. Oh, and please buy my book. It's very funny.
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05.01.08 at 11:21 AM |
So Funny! I’m raising boy/girl twins, and it has practically been a study in gender differences at our house. He wants toys that are loud, fast, big, and strong. She wants things that are soft, cute, furry and sparkley. He likes to build big things and then knock them down with a big BANG! She likes to take things apart and see what’s on the inside. And when they get mad, he kicks and hits, and she quiety plans her revenge. The supression of gender diferences was started feminism as a way of enforcing the woman are equal to men. They failed to recognize that you can have equal sums with different parts.
05.01.08 at 12:17 PM |
You’re so right about this. And I scoff at people who think they can be totally gender non-specific, because you cannot take the girl out of the girl.
05.01.08 at 12:46 PM |
... in a nice violet/red-violet color scheme http://themommyblog.net/ee/images/smileys/wink.gif
05.01.08 at 01:21 PM |
that’s funny!
05.01.08 at 02:31 PM |
Oh, I so love the dress, helmet, & skateboardng combo! Now with Sparkle Power!!!!
05.01.08 at 07:46 PM |
I like the eyelashes and blush http://themommyblog.net/ee/images/smileys/smile.gif
05.02.08 at 04:30 AM |
Boys will be boys and girls grow up to be teens. Let the games begin.
Great blog you’ve got here
05.02.08 at 06:48 AM |
at least those are puffy sleeves and not HUGE boobs, right?
05.02.08 at 07:49 AM |
That is too funny! Having only girls (two to be exact) and growing up in a household with only women I really had no idea what little boys were even like.
Now we live on a street where there are four boys next to us that my girls play with on a regular basis. Slowly my girls have turned from tea party attending, barbie dressing, sticker collecting princesses to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle playing, hockey following, water gun toting robot princesses who will capture you, make you their prisinor and force you to attend their tea parties.
What well rounded girls I have. http://themommyblog.net/ee/images/smileys/smile.gif
05.02.08 at 03:21 PM |
That is absolutely hysterical! And don’t forget the coy little looks that girls seem to be genetically programmed to give. My daughter was already “flirting” with daddy at 3-1/2 months old. I couldn’t believe it!