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wailing in the night
Jun. 8th, 2011 12:13 am"I don't want it dark, I want it sunny!"
Jun. 8th, 2011
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Jun. 8th, 2011 04:26 pm1. Apparently either there was a bad batch of 'em on the playground today, or we have gotten to the age where lax standards about boys' interpersonal behavior vs. girls' is starting to show. Lots of pushing girls out of the way to cut ahead in a "take turns" line, grabbing of toys, and so very, very few words of any sort spoken to anyone at all.
2. Nonetheless, Simone had a great deal of fun "swordfighting" with a new friend and a palm frond this morning. (G. called to ask who won. It was a draw.) Also, she did manage to negotiate to borrow the play watering can back after it was literally (as in rolling on the pavement) wrestled away from her.
3. We also encountered our first instance of gender-policing by other kids today. One three-year-old girl said to me about Simone's attire -- black jeans with red skull on the pocket, orange shirt with various sports balls, and sparkly red shoes, and why yes she did dress herself this morning before I even made it in the room -- "those are girl's shoes." I said "Yes, they are." Girl: "But she's a boy." Me: "No, she's a girl." Girl looks agape at me and the conversation ends.* Meanwhile, Simone scampers up the rock and ditches her shoes entirely, then says to me, "I want to be a girl now." "You are a girl right now, if you want to be," I replied. That seemed to satisfy her for now.
* I seem to have that effect a lot at any age in conversations of this sort.
2. Nonetheless, Simone had a great deal of fun "swordfighting" with a new friend and a palm frond this morning. (G. called to ask who won. It was a draw.) Also, she did manage to negotiate to borrow the play watering can back after it was literally (as in rolling on the pavement) wrestled away from her.
3. We also encountered our first instance of gender-policing by other kids today. One three-year-old girl said to me about Simone's attire -- black jeans with red skull on the pocket, orange shirt with various sports balls, and sparkly red shoes, and why yes she did dress herself this morning before I even made it in the room -- "those are girl's shoes." I said "Yes, they are." Girl: "But she's a boy." Me: "No, she's a girl." Girl looks agape at me and the conversation ends.* Meanwhile, Simone scampers up the rock and ditches her shoes entirely, then says to me, "I want to be a girl now." "You are a girl right now, if you want to be," I replied. That seemed to satisfy her for now.
* I seem to have that effect a lot at any age in conversations of this sort.