Boys and Girls

I have a pet peeve (ok.. I have lots of them, but I'm only going to share one today). It bugs me when I see parents applying double standards to their kids, just based on their gender. I cringe a little whenever I hear the phrase "Boys will be boys"... because it usually follows some action that the boy in question did which really shouldn't be O.K. The boys get away with a lot of stuff that they shouldn't. Like peeing in the plants at Whole Foods. How does the fact that he's a boy make public urination acceptable, particularly when there's a bathroom 40 feet away?

Even so, at least observing my kids, there's some obvious, stereotypical differences in their tastes and their behaviors. Penelope loves anything remotely pink or purple, and anything with Tinkerbell or Strawberry Shortcake ("Strawberry Cort-cake" in her language) on it is an instant favorite. Ben on the other hand, wants to be a race car driver when he grows up, and he can turn any unsuspecting toy into a race car or an airplane or a robot. Most likely, they get this from what they get exposed to at school from their friends. Then there's the clothing thing. Both of them would probably run around nude all the time if we let them, but if they have to wear clothing, its a very different story. Penelope is very particular about what she wears, to the point of going back to her room and changing when we put her in something she disagrees with. Ben could care less. He'll put on whatever gets laid out for him. Is that genetic? I don't know.

Another good example this morning - I was wearing a new shirt, and Penelope had on a new dress. The instant Penelope saw me, she said "Daddy, you have a new shirt!" Mommy had commented that I was wearing the new shirt too, when she first saw me.

Ben, after playing with Penelope for about an hour, remarked "Hey Penelope.. I haven't seen that dress before. Is it new?" That made me look, and my thought was "Oh hey.. he's right.. that is her new dress!"