Gender Stereotypes

Something he'd do for hours, even at one year: Driving tractor

Back in the day when attending the university, I took General Psychology. Although a huge lecture hall class, it was great. I enjoyed it, the prof was great. She taught us lots of interesting stuff about the wonderful human mind.

But I know she never had kids.

Know how I know this? She tried to claim that boys and girls are the same, it's our gender stereotypes that make them boyish and girly.

Her new thing at the time was that when she heard of someone having a baby, she wouldn't ask "boy or girl." She figured that started the gender stereotype right then and there. Instead, she'd only ask "how is the baby doing?" Because that was so neutral.

Hmmm. Well, Miss Ellinson, although Elsa loves mud puddles and Oliver sleeps with a baby doll nightly (he did try a tractor once, but I don't think it was very comfy, cuz he hasn't tried it since), I still beg to differ.

Cuz I'm pretty sure that the first time Oliver sat on the floor with a tractor, he went "brrrrrrmm" all by himself.

• That Elsa had definite opinions on clothes at the ripe ol' age of 10 months. That she'd find her bright pink shoes and coat and insist on wearing them all day. Every day.
  
• And that Oliver still could care less. (Although he does finally know the difference between church pants and not church pants.)
• That Oliver has loved tractor rides since the day he was born.
• That Elsa's still on the fence about actually getting on a running tractor.
• That just yesterday, Oliver was headed into the "forest to shoot a deer, but I didn't see one so I just shot the tree instead." (We have a forest, not the woods at our house. Not sure where that came from.)
• That Elsa was following along...carrying a purse. In fancy sandals. That she picked out. And insisted on.
• That while Elsa loves to catch the cat and hold onto it (usually by the tail) Oliver barrels on by yelling "I gonna get that cat! Gonna get Thelma!" with his gun and making gun noises.

I'm pretty sure that at least a few of those things have nothing to do with someone asking their gender when they were born. Pretty doggone sure.

She still insists on that coat and shoes if she can find them.

Or anything shockingly pink will do in a pinch.