Can YOU Tell The Difference?
Nov 10 '00
I have four children, two boys and two girls. I’d like to do a little experiment here and see if you can tell the difference between the boys and the girls.
The oldest has never done particularly well in school, but has always excelled in sports, doesn’t have a great desire for reading, is very fashion conscious, and always follows the latest trends in all areas, from fashion and makeup to music. This child is very active, loves to dance, and is a social butterfly. Number One loves “dressing up” but is equally comfortable in jeans, sweatshirts and sneakers. Very much a collector, this child has a music collection that is truly mind-boggling, and still retains a small portion of a stuffed animal collection. (But that’s baby stuff now, Mom!) This child does not profess to having a favorite color, but does tend to wear clothing mainly in neutral, earthy tones.
The next child is very quiet but friendly. Very studious, this child loves to read and create. An artistic soul, Child Number Two is very much into animation, drawing, making models of all types, and creating space structures with Lego. Music and dancing are also pursuits that interest this child. This child has absolutely no interest in playing sports, or belonging to any sort of an organized activity. A spontaneous person, tending more to playing with friends in an informal setting, this child never cares about wardrobe or other externals. Number Two will accept dressing up for special functions, but has no desire to do so on a regular basis. This child has a tremendous interest in dinosaurs and a great desire to explore further in the sciences. This child has an extremely large collection of stuffed animals, and also collects souvenir spoons and dinosaur toys and models. This child’s favorite color is orange.
We come to the third child. This child is tremendously interested in all sports, and plays many. This one loves all outdoor activities, and is extremely involved in organized activities. This child is an avid reader, and is interested in many creative pursuits as well, having a particular affinity for painting and models and creative Lego construction. Number Three tends to lean towards jeans and t-shirts, with sneakers or hiking boots for footwear. Dressing up for school or special functions is always welcomed, but never initiated by this child. Another collector, this one has amassed yet another enormous collection of stuffed animals, a snowglobe collection, and dinosaur toys and models. This child’s favorite color is deep purple.
Finally, Child Number Four. This child is also fascinated with Lego, stuffed animals, and books. Music is a high priority for this child, as is dancing and singing. This child is at home both outdoors and indoors, and prefers to be very active, whether it’s running, building with blocks, or playing with siblings or friends. Always wearing jeans and sweatshirts, this child detests getting dressed up! This child is most comfortable barefoot, but if push comes to shove hiking boots are the only acceptable footwear. Another collector, Number Four leans towards stuffed animals of the Blue’s Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House tv shows, and shows an interest in enlarging the dinosaur and Lego collection that has just begun. This child’s favorite color is orange.
Do you know which ones are the boys and which are the girls yet? Here’s some more information if you’re not quite sure, keeping in mind that some of these traits may not be applicable to Child Number Four, who is only two years old. All of these children have played with dolls, and army/action figures. They have all played with trucks of varying sizes. They are all computer literate..…some much more than their mother! Video Games are another passion of these children, as are movies of all types…comedies, animated, dramas, etc. They all love board games, skating, street hockey. They all have a small circle of very close friends, with many, many other friends on the perimeters of their social circles.
Still not sure? What more can I tell you? Two of these children have brown hair, two are blond(e)…three have short hair, one long. All have blue eyes. None wear glasses. All have slightly wavy hair. All four of these children are caring, loving nurturers, comfortable with expressing themselves. All are well-rounded, with a wide variety of interests.
I’m not sure what else to tell you to help you make your determination. We have never gender discriminated in our family. If the boys play with dolls, so what? It teaches them nurturing, and what's wrong with that? If my girls play with dump trucks, am I going to say no? Not a chance! I’m not going to give them “gender appropriate” toys, because there is no such thing! I’m not going to dress them in “gender appropriate” colors, because, once again, there is no such thing. So far we're doing just fine! They are all emotionally healthy, non-judgmental children. They all have friends with wide ranges of interests. They do not have any limits placed on them because of their gender.
My daughter has expressed a desire to be a doctor, garbage man, fireman, farmer, lion tamer, and an Olympic Soccer player. (Sorry about the gender specific titles….she’s not P.C. yet!) The boy next door has told her that “girls can’t be doctors….they don’t make good doctors.” Well, I have to tell you, she certainly set him straight on that account! She has no doubt as to her ability to be anything she wants to be when she grows up, and if that means she’s going to be the first female lion taming farmer, well then, that’s just what she’ll be!
One evening, while I was making dinner I was listening to my children talking. My son informed my daughter that when she grew up she would have to learn to make supper and clean and all the other stuff that mom does. Well, my jaw dropped! I fortunately held my tongue long enough to hear him then explain that he would have to learn to do all those things too, because dads do them too. My daughter agreed wholeheartedly, and went on to explain to her brother that they would also both need to learn how to “fix stuff, and use tools like hammers and saws”, just like dad and mom do.
So my question is, can you tell the difference? I hope not!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
MumMumMum
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Beverley
Location: Canada
Reviews written: 290
Trusted by: 419 members
About Me:
So good to be home, but so very tired!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.