Sam thinks that he completely understands girls. Last night, right before Sam fell asleep, we were chatting about who he wants to invite to his birthday party (which, incidentally, is a few months away). The topic turned toward inviting some of his girl cousins to his party (which he wants to do). But as we discussed girls, he explained to me (while lying on his back in bed) the difference between boys and girls. Below is his list of "what girls like." As Sam lay on his back in bed, he listed these things off on his fingers, one by one, as he spoke:
Girls like:
1) Princesses
2) Queens
3) Unicorns
4) Ponies
In contrast, Sam says that these are the things boys like:
1) Superheroes
2) Transformers
3) Star Wars
4) Dinosaurs
5) "Boy stuff"
Sam's generalization is cute right now, since he is a little boy and trying to figure out his own definition of the world. But I hope that one day he realizes that his generalization is stereotypical and even a little ridiculous, like this "unicorn princess Barbie" image that I found while writing this post. J and I tried to emphasize that I don't like any of the things on the "girl list," even though I'm a girl. Sam didn't know how to respond to that. It will be interesting to see if these clear-cut gender distinctions continue in his mind over the next several years...
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5 comments:
I'm sure his ideas will change as he gets older. It does make a little depressed, though, that gender stereotypes are introduced and identifiable at such a young age.
Also. I can't believe you don't like ponies.
That's one of my favorite episodes of "The Office", ever.
On a semi-serious note, it is kind of cute the way he's observing the world. I have no doubt that as he grows, his ideas will change quite a bit with you being his mom. Oh, and what exactly is "boy stuff"?
I love little Sam! And, wow... really... wow, that barbie unicorn is something else. I hope my girls never get into barbies, but they probably will (not by encouragement from me though) ;)
Please tell him the Gram has her own lightsaber, loves books, Star Wars, baseball, March-Madness and art. And she is a girl.
This made me laugh. And I don't know why, but an image of you with a unicorn horn came to mind when I saw that picture. Which also made me laugh. Danny still has conversations with me trying to figure out the world, seeking reassurance if he likes something that is a "girl toy" or making sure it's OK that Kaylee likes "boy toys." Usually it ends with "because everyone can like the same stuff, right mom?" It is fun to watch their minds trying to make sense of everything around them.
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