gender enforcement

[metaphortunate]

Things the baby has ostensibly done recently to cause people to say "Wow, you've really got a boy there, haven't you?"

1) Opened kitchen drawer, flung out piece of tupperware
2) Climbed up slide at playground

Things I believe the baby has ACTUALLY done recently to cause people to say "Wow, you've really got a boy there, haven't you?"

Received a short haircut.

Reason for hypothesis

Previous to the haircut, the most common question upon meeting him was "Boy or girl?"

Alternate hypothesis

Perhaps the haircut has caused him to behave in a more masculine fashion?

Evidence supporting alternate hypothesis

None. Baby behavior has not noticeably changed.

Evidence supporting initial hypothesis

People are extremely good at finding patterns and then noticing evidence to support those patterns and discarding evidence that does not.

Conclusion

GRRARGH PEOPLE WHY YOU GOTTA BE LIKE THAT.

Comments

[cahn]

ahahahaha. I have been in several conversations where the other person is all "Isn't it interesting how girls have this hardwired wanting to nurture dollies" and I have to point out Exhibit A, my daughter, who has no idea what to do with a doll; she'll sort of dangle it by a foot and look at you like "What do you expect me to do with this?" She likes trucks a lot, though!

That being said, when I was involved in watching about ten two-year-olds at once, it was actually true that the boys (AS A WHOLE) were more likely to pummel each other and manhandle the playground toys than the girls (AS A WHOLE) were, though both were equally likely to run around and get into trouble. But, um, even if the means might be slightly different, they are overlapping distributions, people! There were definitely some of the girls who were more interested in play-fighting than some of the boys, and some of the boys who were more interested in playing quietly with books than some of the girls. (Sometimes both, at different times, too.)