Gender stereotypes and outlet covers
April 01, 2010
When we found out Sophia was a girl, I started hearing all these rumors about what to expect when you're expecting a girl baby. Girls are dramatic, I was told, but not nearly as physical as boys. I remember reading a post Arwen wrote about how different her son is from her daughter. The thing that struck me the most is that she said she never even needed outlet covers when her daughter was a baby. Didn't need them! The mind BOGGLES.
And I know, I know, gender stereotypes and all. Whatever. Boys and girls are different. Whether it's inborn or my fault (every mother's interpretation of the nature/nurture question), they simply are different. And it's my contention that boys with brothers are different still. There is an intensifying effect of the boy culture when you have a fistful of boys.
So I was interested in seeing what this girl child would turn out to be like. Would I really get that placid sort of kid I'd seen sitting quietly with the picture books at the library?
No, as a matter of fact, I did not. I got Sophia.
And first of all, let me say that when people said she would be dramatic, I assumed they meant she would be a dramatic CHILD. It did not occur to me that she would be a dramatic BABY too. When I cross her, she crumples to the floor, wailing. She throws her head back, so I can appreciate the SORROW. Then she folds at the waist and presses her face to the floor, yammering and crying and occasionally shooting a furtive look out of the corner of one eye to be sure I'm watching.
So drama? Yes, check. But not as physical as boys? HA, I say. HA. If that sounded bitter to you, may I compliment you on your astuteness. Also? HA.
Let me show you what my baby girl does with outlet covers. Because YES, we need outlet covers. Although apparently we need BETTER outlet covers.
What? Don't mind me, here...
How does this go again? Oh, that's right.
Here, Mama! Want an outlet cover?
Lightening-quick my girl is. And that's not all. Her other favorite thing to do these days involves the heat registers. They're interesting, see. And if they are interesting, what about what's underneath them?
Look what I found!
So in answer to my own question, I guess, the prevailing opinions were half right. Sophia is a rich natural source of drama. But not as physical as the boys?
We did not get that sort of girl.
She is so cute! I have twin, fraternal girls and they are wonderful :-) I have one who is into everything! She "painted" my bedroom when she was 3! We had a bucket of paint in our bathroom and thought that she was in there napping! Oh the tears! Oh the ruined furniture knobs!
Posted by: Melody | April 02, 2010 at 06:00 AM
She's so cute.
I don't know anything about baby girls, but I totally agree with the intensifying effect of brothers. My second son pulled the outlets away from the wall (the "unbreakable" outlets), and reached behind it to grab the wires. MORE THAN ONCE. You would think, you know, Pavlov would have told us that he wouldn't continue to do something that shocks him, but Pavlov was wrong about my son.
Posted by: Stephanie | April 02, 2010 at 06:17 AM
Just like her mama, who had an deep affinity for anything electrical, and for life threatening activities. Who spent much of her childhood perched how many feet up a tree? Or building fires in the back yard. Who burned her eyelashes off looking into a kiln, and still has double vision because apparently she thought she could fly. I am so relieved that you survived.
Posted by: Amma Always | April 02, 2010 at 07:14 AM
Your description of the drama is so much like I remember with my second son. I had one of the quiet toddler girls, who then turned out to be a drama queen anyway - she just started out a bit quieter. But my last baby, my little Drama Prince - oh, yes, the tantrums where he watched to see what the effect was - ha!
But yes, I've found that there is no way to predict who will go after what. With my first son, I could just use those kinds of outlet covers. With my daughter? I had to get covers that screwed into the outlet, and also kept her from unplugging everything. Yikes.
Posted by: Tracy | April 02, 2010 at 07:32 AM
Well, at least you know she's smart ... ;)
Posted by: Jennifer | April 02, 2010 at 07:46 AM
Heh. The picture of Sophia with the heat register reminds me of my nephew, who used to not only lift the registers off, but STASH stuff under there. My sister once e-mailed me a list of what she found there, and it was a COMPREHENSIVE list of legos, action figures, other toys, pens, markers, pencils and Jimmy Hoffa.
Good luck to you!
Posted by: Aimee | April 02, 2010 at 09:10 AM
As the mother of three daughters - one who shoved a key into an electrical socket when she was 5, one who has logged more time in time in the ER than either of her sisters plus me combined and one who would begin almost every phrase with "I have an idea...." - welcome to the club!
Posted by: Amy | April 02, 2010 at 10:34 AM
She's a doll---would you really have her any other way?
Posted by: connie | April 02, 2010 at 05:47 PM
Wow, she is so ADORABLE! I have only boys (4 of them), so I can't compare boys vs. girls, but I completely agree about the intensifying effect of multiple boys. My house is an absolute ZOO! Pandemonium, Mayhem, Dirt, Noise ALL THE TIME! The testosterone fairly DRIPS off the walls around here. But there is also sweetness and twinkly eyes, and cuddly loving cuties who LOVE their Mama! I've been a long-time reader of your blog, and I know you have sweet boys with a huge capacity for love. I'm so interested to see how Sophia grows into girlhood and finds her place in your household. She seems like she's prepared to take the world by storm!
Posted by: Julie in Austin | April 03, 2010 at 12:28 PM
She looks just like Raphael in that picture by the vent cover! I suppose the one holding a lightsaber also bears a striking resemblance.
Posted by: Vern | April 03, 2010 at 09:35 PM
P.S. After reading your mom's comment I was thinking, "YOU BURNED YOUR EYELASHES OFF LOOKING INTO A KILN?!" But after further consideration I realize the more pertinent question is, "WHAT THE CRAP WERE YOUR PARENTS DOING WITH A KILN?!"
Posted by: Vern | April 03, 2010 at 09:40 PM
All I can say is, being the daughter of the child it sounds like you were & being the daughter of Clay...watch out & hold on for quite a ride! :D
Posted by: Jilly | April 03, 2010 at 10:50 PM
It was at the YMCA. And I had been WARNED and WARNED not to get my eye too close to the peek hole, and...so I had to, I guess. And then I burned off all my eyelashes. That night I was lying in bed, feeling the stubble of eyelashes on one eye, and fretting that I would somehow be blind before morning. And since I was always in search of a good reason to get out of bed, I decided to go tell my parents. Except I didnt want to tell them that Id looked in the kiln, because Id been WARNED AND WARNED. So. I wandered out into the living room and said in my best pitiful voice, Mom? My eyelashes are uneven.
They laughed at me A LOT.
Thirty years later I informed them that my eyelashes WERE uneven, thank you very much. Its part of my plan to keep my parents entertained well into their golden years.
Posted by: Kira | April 04, 2010 at 07:47 PM
Arwen was our eldest. Then we had two more girls, all similar in style. Then we had a boy, and people told us that boys were different from girls. They were right. Then we had another girl, and we found out that GIRLS were different from girls. Sophia is obviously of that sort!
Posted by: Salome Ellen | April 05, 2010 at 08:10 AM
I didn't get a calm one either. I got the tough, dramatic, intense and very physical gir.
Posted by: Heather Cook | April 05, 2010 at 08:15 PM
My little girl alternates between playing barbies and polly pockets and watching disney princess movies and running around outside, smeared with dirt, carrying a stick or shovel or other found treasure, followed by a pack of dogs.
I wouldn't have her any other way.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 07, 2010 at 01:58 PM