I was a Psychology major in College and took a few classes on Child Development, but I didn’t quite understand the depth of gender differences until I had my second child (a boy) after having a girl first.
For two and a half years, I had quiet moments with Mia — talking, tickling, laughing, doing crafts, drawing, reading books, playing pretend.
I never worried about her when we were out: she would always stay close to me and never wander away.
At home, I didn’t have to worry about her touching things on my desk or taking things off my shelf. She knew what were her toys and what weren’t. She only touched her things.
And then…
Ian was born.
Ian touches everything. Once he learned to stand, he would reach table tops and push everything off just to see what would happen. Once he learned to walk, he was trouble with a capital “T”!
I now think we need to put child safety locks on our TOP cabinets! He climbs onto everything (and I do mean everything) and has even learned to turn things over, like the laundry basket, to use as a stepping stool!
Ian just turned 18 mos old. OMG. What will happen when he’s 3?!!
Don’t get me wrong, this little monkey makes my heart flutter. I can’t get enough of him. I tell my husband that Ian is like a morsel of chocolate to me. He is irresistible! He is just a mischievous morsel!
Take a look at some photos I took today…
I know this table isn’t that high off the ground, but trust me, he does the same with our large dining table. I just don’t have photos of those times because I’m usually darting over there while yelling, “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” I’d be a bad mommy if I were like, “Oh, you’re standing on the table again? You may fall and crack your head open, but wait — let me get my camera!” 😉
I like this photo… a close up of his pudgy baby feet against the messy Art Table covered in years of scribbling!
What? I’m innocent. (See how he gets me? When he looks at me, he looks directly into my eyes.)
Look, this guy is playing me like a fiddle!
He gives me his sad pouty face (it totally works, by the way). He can tear up within 2 seconds!
And then, because I want to get a photo of him smiling, I do a pretend sneeze, which he finds humorous. So there’s my smile!
Do all boys do this? My daughter never climbed onto tables!
I’m sure part of this is just a difference in personalities, but I see these general differences at playgrounds, at schools, and in my kids’ playgroups.