Today I picked up Evangeline at pre-school. Her teacher told her to show me her paper. The coloring was very nice–all in the lines, every area filled in. Flash back to last year. Nevin, in the same pre-school class, very seldom ever colored an entire page. If there was a spot of color in an area, then the job was done. Calvin was the same way. Evangeline sits around in the evening with crayons or markers and just colors for entertainment. I never saw this activity with the boys. If they were sitting down to color, it normally required scissors and glue, too, so they could “do” something. I am not implying this means girls are better or smarter than boys; it is just interesting to note the differences.
5 thoughts on “The difference between boys and girls”
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awww. i loved to colour! Maybe it’s a difference in how the sexes create beauty…
I am more and more convinced that the boy vs girl thing exists, but really varies from kid to kid and family to family. My two oldest (girl, then boy) fall within some of the “stereotypes” but in other ways reverse them completely. For instance, Jonathan spoke in complete sentences at 18 months while it took Abigail till around age 2 1/2 to do this. But, I am veering off on a tangent; to stay on track with the theme of this blog entry, the coloring anecdote resonates with me right now as Jonathan’s newest favorite activity is (in his own words): “I need paper — color crayons!!” I will then give him one blank page of white paper which he painstaking fills entirely by drawing little squiggly circles all over in quite a lovely pattern. In many, many different crayon colors. I’m rather amazed by the patience and focus he exhibits in accomplishing this as it doesn’t necessarily carry over into other areas of his life…
Tricia,
I think you are right. It varies from family to family. I think Jonathan’s speaking has a lot to do with him having an older sister and hearing you and Jay speak to her in very deliberate ways. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the anecdotes in the Dobson “Boys” book about the dare-devil instinct as it relates to Jonathan.
hello! 🙂
“Differences between boys and girls can be acknowledged and appreciated; but they do not have to be taught.”
from Whole Child Whole Parent
I like this book. I like the above quote. Yes, I realize that females and males have differences from one another. But I’m tired of people who seem constantly to teach these differences. Since it has been shown that people relate differently to girls vs boys from the moment of birth; indeed, even in utero if the sex is known then, we will never know which differences are inherent and which are “man-made”.
I prefer to acknowledge and appreciate that people are different one from another. Some people are very masculine, but not all these are male. Some people are very feminine, and not all these are female. P.B. Berends suggests that we allow each child to be who they will be.
Even her quote above could be misused. It is all too easy to focus on the girlness or boyness of children, rather than focusing on each child as the unique individual they are.