Boys vs. Girls—You Choose
Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as to not bias you, I'm going to let you guess, who are the boys in the stories and who are the girls.
Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as to not bias you, I'm going to let you guess, who are the boys in the stories and who are the girls.
Today's Story
The Event: Wally's Third Grade
Valentine Party
The Event: Wally's Third Grade
Valentine Party
The Scene: The kids were seated around
tables and had naturally grouped themselves into two groups with all
boys on one side and all girls on the other side.
The Action: One group was carefully
reading each Valentine and talking about who liked whom. The other group was seeing how many Red
Hot cinnamon candies they could stuff in their mouth before their mouth
burned too much.
You choose: Which group was the boys and which was the girls?
You choose: Which group was the boys and which was the girls?
Disclaimer: Of course, we all know that each person is a unique individual with a special set of traits that makes them who they are. No one is “all boy” just as no one is “all girl.”
Good morning! My daughters and I were discussing something similar this past week -- why is it that boys are always jumping, climbing and flailing about as they talk to you, but little girls just stand there, fairly still and tell you every last little detail?
ReplyDeleteYou see, my girls have a set of younger twin cousins, boy/girl twins. And we were recalling when the twins were 5 years old, the boy was climbing all over everything, as he talked to us, but the little girl just stood very still, but told us so many details about everything and everyone.
I grew up in a family of four girls and didn't quite understand the whole boy thing until I had my own. Ward had to "interpret" for me sometimes like when we would come back from a Cub Scout meeting.
DeleteOverall, girls are more verbal and more interested in social relationships than boys. The scene you describe with the boy/girl twins makes perfect sense to me (now).
I didn't see the difference (because I only have boys here) until our niece was born. It's amazing too see how she plays with all boys and still stays a girl. She likes to do things with Mummy (you know, brushing hair and "make-up") and loves her dolls :)
ReplyDeleteI really do believe that are some innate general differences between girls and boys. There are too many examples like the ones you see with your niece and your boys to be coincidences.
DeleteThat’s interesting. My twins wanted different themes for their birthday so I decided to go for a combined theme for their bash. I hosted a DIY fairy plus lego inspired party at one of the outdoor San Francisco venues. It turned out to be a big hit. Not only kids but adults also liked my ideas.
ReplyDeleteFairies and Legos-something for everyone. Sounds like a lot of fun.
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