As a mom of both a boy and a girl it sure does make life interesting. Daily I get to see how truly different the two sexes are and why there are stero-types regarding each. And often it's not that they have been taught to act in that particular way, just that it is very instinctual to them.
I am constantly keeping an eye on Viggo. He has such an amazing spirit and is FULL of energy. He definitely has a zest for life and loves attention. If there ever was the epitome of boy, he is it; curious, active, physical, loud and very smart. You can often find him trying to "bait and switch" his little sister or any other friend of his who has a toy he wants. Nadia will pick up his train and he will want it. If we aren't monitoring the situation he'll just take it from her and it's followed up by her banshee scream. But if we tell him to give it back or happen to intercede the situation he will find some toy he doesn't want to play with and try and give her that so he can take the one he wants. It's so funny that that behavior is instinctual and not something he's necessarily learned. I mean, he just turned three so it's not like he even understands what "bait and switching" is much less have learned the technique of it!
Being a woman it's always interesting observing Viggo's "maleness". The other day he was in the bathroom going potty. He always asks for privacy so I go back to check on him and he tells me "I need it to get smaller". I'm like, what? What needs to get smaller? "My pee-nee, it needs to get smaller". Oh dear, now how do I handle this one? "Well stop touching it and it will get smaller." I mean, seriously, you wouldn't think that behavior would start this young but it most certainly does....younger even!
He certainly is my challenging child but he is so loving and affectionate. He's always thinking of others and if someone gets hurt he's right there with a concerned attitude and ready to kiss a boo-boo all better. He loves to snuggle and I will take all that I can get of it because I know one day he might not want to.
Now little miss Nadia is definitely coming out of her baby shell and becomming very much a toddler in her own right. She has been a lot easier to discipline then Viggo ever has. But she's also always been much more emotional (see above in second paragraph re: banshee scream). At one point we were trying to teach her to say please and she would break down in an emotional puddle of goo complete with screaming and crying just because we were making her say please. I mean, the gall of us!
She also fills in some of those sterotypes of women being afraid of insects. This morning we were outside playing and she starts screaming "BUG! BUG!" It was an ant. A very small ant. I show her to stomp on it and she looks like I've grown a second head and shakes her head no while saying "UNH-UH!!!" How dare I suggest such a thing. Then she runs over to the other end of the patio to sit on the steps. She also is much less physical than Viggo. She doesn't care about climbing except to go up on the couch. Where I had to watch Viggo so he didn't climb all the way up on top of the dinning room table and swing from the ceiling fan, Nadia has never had that as an option on her list of To Do's.
I love that she is so gentle. She loves to play with my hair and give me a nice snuggle. She also loves the girlie things like painting her nails. She calls it "pretties". She loves shoes! Oh my the girl loves her some shoes. And recently she's started playing with her toy purse. I have a couple up in her closet saved for when she really was ready to start getting into that and I think we are almost there.
They also eat differently although maybe not as one who is stero-typing would think. Viggo is the picky, bird eater and Nadia is my put-it-in-front-of-me-and-I'll-definitely-try-it kind of girl. And if it's not something truly hideous (like cole slaw) she'll eat it. I've never had any worries about her getting enough food in her tummy like I've had with Viggo. He's had me so worried at times that I've bought him nutritional drinks just to cover our bases.
Having both a boy and a girl is truly a blessing. They certainly complement one another and I get the best of both worlds!
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Viggo sounds SOOOO much like my son, who's almost exactly the same age. He really is a typical boy. I don't have a daughter, but I got a chance to observe the difference in the 2 sexes while on vacation w/ my 2-y.o. niece last week. The thing that bugged me was how everyone kept yelling at my son & being harder on him, seemingly because he's a boy. Meanwhile, my niece would do the same thing & no one would bat an eye. Also she had the (maybe female?) habit of crying when she didn't get her way. Then almost every time, her parents gave her what she wanted.
ReplyDeleteThat is very much a cultural thing (and not just here in the US), being easier on the girls. I also catch myself (and husband) letting things go a little bit more with our daughter rather than our son. I'm sure a lot of it is the being a girl thing but sometimes I wonder if it's not also a little bit of "it's the second kid and I really don't care". Haha!! :) I do try really hard though to keep an even keel with both and also remind my husband to do the same since it's particularly easier for him to let "daddy's little princess" get away with murder.
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