Being a Mummy of a girl and a boy I am starting to notice the differences between the sexes. Sometimes I wonder if its because of the way that we have raised them but honestly, we haven’t done anything differently with either of them. Little Bean has always been a fiercely independent, determined and stubborn little lady and although this often drives me to distraction I am very proud of her because I know that she will succeed in life and she will certainly be nobody’s fool. In many ways she reminds me very much of me, I am very independent person who if at first doesn’t succeed, will try and try again. I certainly don’t suffer fools gladly and my husband will testify to the fact that I am as stubborn as a mule. But on the flip side, Little Bean is a little girl through and through, her favourite colours are pink and purple, she loves princesses, dolls, dressing up and all things girly. Despite her recent escapades at school she is actually a very caring little girl, a really little mother hen. One little girl got upset when they walked past her house on a pre-school walk and so Little Bean put her arms around her shoulders and told her not to worry as she would look after her. She adores babies, this was Little Bean yesterday having her first cuddles with Ella’s new baby brother Sam.
Beanie Boy has been a totally different child from the word go, he has always been more laid back, a very easy baby who loves nothing more than having a big cuddle. He is a terrible flirt with the ladies, when I’m out and about with him I can guarantee at that at some point he will be peering over my shoulder smiling and laughing with the nearest female whether she is in a pushchair herself or pushing one! Beanie Boy has always been more needy and not so happy if I leave him with friends or relatives for a short time. Little Bean barely remembers to say goodbye but Beanie Boy will cry and cling to my leg, I am already dreading his first day at pre-school! But it’s playtime where I really notice the difference, this morning I took Beanie Boy to playgroup and watched as he picked up boy-toy after boy-toy. He pushed the wheelbarrow around and around, he filled it with cars and trucks. At home we have toys for boys and girls but 99% of the time Little Bean will choose the dolls and Beanie Boy will choose the cars!
Obviously there are the odd children here and there who will buck the trend but observing the children at pre-school and playgroup, it makes me laugh how the differences in girls and boys are noticeable from such a young age. I feel very lucky to have boys and girls, they each have their own special ways, their own little quirks and I just love to watch them blossom and grow.
Would you say your child/children are classic boys/girls or do they bend the ‘rules’?
I have a 9 yr old boy, 2 year old girl and an 11month old boy. My eldest is a sensitive soul but his one obsession is sport, particularly football. His strongest subjects are PE and Maths. My little girl loves dolls, princesses and will sit and read and craft for ages. Then my youngest, another boy, will never sit still, he never looks at books, he chews/tears or sits on them and tears around like a mad thing! They all follow their gender stereotypes and i don’t really know why, esp with the 2 youngest (there’s 14 months between them) as they have the same pool of toys to play with.
Its odd isn’t it, your children all sound very similar to mine, Beanie Boy is at the chewing stage now – its like having a puppy but at least he wears a nappy!