Continuing a theme....

[Seahorse]

I'm a bit late to this and it's gone off track somewhat but I have four kids, two boys, two girls. One likes cooking, sci-fi and wolves; one likes art, science and shoes, one likes baking, running and hair gel, one likes formal clothes, recipes and anime.

They're just normal kids from a normal household but could anyone say with conviction which are the boys and which are the girls?

[Two_Sheds]

Well- all I can add is that I hope they taught him to sit down to pee!!!!!

I wish they were ALL taught to sit down to pee

[piskieinboots]

I wish they were ALL taught to sit down to pee

Snowdrop wouldn't dare do anything else - likewise he would never leave the toilet without having returned both toilet seat AND lid to closed and the door closed.

Training is a wonderful thing

[Hilary B]

I'm a bit late to this and it's gone off track somewhat but I have four kids, two boys, two girls. One likes cooking, sci-fi and wolves; one likes art, science and shoes, one likes baking, running and hair gel, one likes formal clothes, recipes and anime.

They're just normal kids from a normal household but could anyone say with conviction which are the boys and which are the girls?

I could make a wild guess, but I won't! I reckon most who try would be 50% right. That is how it should be, and I am sure you never thought it necessary to hide the information from anyone?

[Alison]

I read something about this about a year ago and to be honest I think there is a lot of media hype involved which may quite well be flamed by the parents. I don't feel I can possibly know enough details to be sure about it all. Furthermore, one child doesn't prove anything, if he turns out to be confused and damaged individual you can't possibly know that he wouldn't have been anyway, likewise if he's the best most balanced man in the world, maybe that's what he'd always have been. Basically we don't know and can't know. What we can know however is very small pockets of examples, some people are saying that because their daughters play differently to their sons that all girls are like that and all boys are like this based on a very small family sample. This is obvioulsy not the case as otherwise we'd all be the same and world would be a much poorer place. Although I don't have children myself I have lots of friends who do and I remember what it was like when I was a child. It seems that in general it has actually become more acceptable for boys to help mum (or dad ) in the kitchen but sadly the Barbieisation of girls is quite horrible. Dolls in themselves are fine (although I never thought they were much of a toy to be honest) but they seem to have almost become a role model and I can't bring myself to go into that section of toy shops. All the adverts focused at kids are terrible and if I had kids I'd much rather they were making mud pies in the garden that being fed that rubbish.

[Hilary B]

Bringing up kids on the basis that until puberty the differences are of absolutely no importance is a great idea. Pretending (on whatever level) that there ARE no differences is silly and a recipe for trouble.

[Alison]

Bringing up kids on the basis that until puberty the differences are of absolutely no importance is a great idea. Pretending (on whatever level) that there ARE no differences is silly and a recipe for trouble.

I think that those differences are more differences in people (well children in this case) rather than in gender but otherwise wholeheartedly agree.