Randon Gender Thoughts...

So I don't forget:

A friend recently asked me about how Ben and Molly seemed different from each other, and specifically, did I think that there were differences in a little boy vs. a little girl.

In general, some things are quite the same, and there are a lot of differences that I'm not sure have anything to do with male/female, rather than just their different personalities.

But I had a couple thoughts that do seem more gender related.

1. With both kids, between 6 mos and 18 mos, we have spent a lot of time sitting on the back of the couch, looking out of the front window to watch the world go by.
When we did this with Ben, he was only ever interested in one thing...automobiles of any kind . Cars...trucks...fire trucks...motorcycles...you name it. If it was on wheels, he was fascinated. If several minutes would go by with nothing driving by, he would loose interest, even if there were 1,000 other things to look at.
But with Molly, now that she is getting more window time as she gets older, I have noticed that she couldn't care less about the cars and trucks. She is fascinated by any people who walk by, and really even more so, any animals that go by. She almost jumps out of her skin with excitement when she sees a dog or bird out the window. And if a fleet of fascinating vehicles went by, she would barely notice:).

2. Dolls/babies. Ben never showed the slightest interest in dolls or stuffed animals of any kind in the first 3 years of his life. He is a little more interested these days, but the dolls and animals are more like playmates that he can pretend with, so it really seems more like an age-related development, rather than a true affinity for dolls or babies.
But Molly, if she sees a baby doll anywhere, she JUMPS at the chance to hold it and carry it around. If there are 20 stuffed animals and one baby doll, she will find the baby in an instant and hold on to it tightly! And if someone else has a baby, she will go for it with gusto! She doesn't do a lot of "mothering" the babies yet, but she definitely seems strongly drawn to them in a way that Ben didn't.