You can read the first installment here.
I find it entertaining, educational, and awe-inspiring to watch how my children interact with the same toys.
Dolls
Since about when KK turned one, she has been inseparable from dolls. At any given moment, she will have one to six "babies" and often another in her tummy. She cares for their every need, tucks them into bed, tells them stories, names them, and teaches them how to interact with each other. She's a little mommy. Once, when we forgot to bring a doll with us on a trip, she actually toted around a bottle of shampoo as her baby for an entire week.
JJ, on the other hand, has been seen hugging a doll once or twice. He finds dolls are better suited for hitting things with (their heads make a delightful sound), chewing on, throwing, using as a stool, and hiding to torture his sister.
Trucks
Now, JJ is all over trucks. He is brrrrmm-brrrrmmming all day long, driving them all over walls, chairs, tables, and mommy. He notices every vehicle when we are out for walks. Loud trucks deserve a moment of silence and reverence.
KK also plays with trucks. She names them, makes one of them the mommy and then invents all kinds of stories with them. Yes, to KK, even trucks are dolls.
If I were the type to believe that we socialize our children to become either feminine or masculine, all I'd have to do is watch my children for a couple of hours to see that femininity and masculinity are built right into us from the beginning. The fact that I think gender roles are a good thing, well, that's a whole other post.
Oh how true this is. My boys are all about the trucks and cars. I find it funny that it comes natural to them and we don't need to teach them to be boys or girls.
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