Daughter 1 tries hard not to treat her children gender-stereotypically. I'm not sure that this has totally succeeded. Yesterday, Grandson asked to play with my collection of old pennies. "I'm going to use them as cobbles for my roads," he said.
"I'm going to use them as flowers," said Granddaughter L.
(?)
Today, we asked if they would like to go to the Glasgow Museum of Transport. Grandson was very keen. "There won't be any bunnies or butterflies like you would like," he remarked to his little sister (who has never shown huge interest in either of these, as far as we can remember). She was instantly indignant:
"I want to go to a museum with bunnies and butterflies!!!!!"
A long time later, we got there. Vehicles everywhere. "Are there any bunnies?" she asked, looking round hopefully.
There were traffic lights, though. And Granddaughter L liked it too.
It's weird isn't it how the clichés hold true? My friend with mixed twins was adamant that each would play with non - gender specific toys yet at 4 they are as different as it is possible be. Little boy loves cars and trucks and guns. Little girl loves pink and purple ponies and butterflies.
ReplyDeleteMy middle daughter and her husband worked especially hard to not have gender stereotypes passed on to their daughters. They were taken aback when Clara, as she learned the names of colors, always insisted on calling pink, "the pretty color".
ReplyDeleteTwo of my g'children (on your side of the world) are similar. Big brother is fascinated by trains and science and, while she might also be interested in science his little sister comes at life attired in tutus and tiaras, sometimes with wellies. You can try to sway them but they will be what they will be!
ReplyDeleteI have two girls and one was a girly girl while the other was a no-nonsense athlete. However, I credit that to the fact that younger daughter(the gymnast) is a lot like her dad in personality.
ReplyDeleteEdinburgh Butterfly and Insect World?
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