Gender Differences
Gautham's nature changes every day. He has suddenly gone from being something of a sissy to all boy - inventing games, climbing wherever possible, jumping off every conceivable spot, playing "tennis" w me or his dad for hours. Yet, he has lost none of the cautiousness that characterised his first attempts at walking; He seems to pick only do-able targets for his acrobatics.
He continues to dream really big though. He was showing off on his tricycle (He also does reasonably well on his bicycle w training wheels); riding with one hand, riding w one foot on the handle bar, riding fast and braking suddenly and quickly.
He suddenly wanted to know if there was a cycle race.
I asked what kind?
He said you know like formula I for cars.
I told him, yep there is, Tour De France.
His response? I have a cycle and I ride very fast, I am going to the Tour De France!
Though he has more girl friends than boys, he seems more deeply attached to his boy friends. When I go to pick him up, he makes me wait until Rithik's mom/grandma show up to pick him up. Meanwhile Rithik is happily ensconced in his air-conditioned class room and we (Gau and I) bear the brunt of the noon heat of Chennai. And once his mom does show up? they leave in a minute after hurried goodbyes. So we have been waiting in the hot sun for just another glimpse of Rithik after 3 hours of play! Gautham meanwhile wants to move his house or atleast his room right next to Rithik's!
Gau loves dinosaurs, in fact his 4th birthday cake said Happy Birthday Stegosaurus. Sowmya's mom got him a lovely dinosaur encyclopaedia for his birthday. Today he took it to school and gave it to Samyukt - "He loves dinosaurs and he will be my best friend if I give him this book." He and Samyukt are of a very similar disposition - clingy, easily drawn to tears, pretending to be animals all the time etc... Samyukt used to occupy the spot Rithik currently occupies in his favours.
He is not opposed to making fun of any of his buddies though - Rithik is currently Rithika and Madhav madhavi from the day he learnt the Rhyme "I am Madhavi from alleppey". I have no clue why he would think it is so funny to call a boy by a girl's name, but there it is.
When it comes to letting his girl friends take a toy/book home, i.e., borrow something, I have to beg, plead, cajole and threaten to get him to do it.
Is this because Sathish is the more lenient parent and I am the one who makes rules and enforces them? Or is it because he enjoys playing with his father more and he automatically feels his boy buddies are more fun? Is there a gender difference already at this tender age of 4? I am definitly not sensitive to it. I dont see any particularly girlish behaviour in Soumya/Sruthi. Raji has started playing "House" usually seen as a quintessentially girlish play.
He continues to dream really big though. He was showing off on his tricycle (He also does reasonably well on his bicycle w training wheels); riding with one hand, riding w one foot on the handle bar, riding fast and braking suddenly and quickly.
He suddenly wanted to know if there was a cycle race.
I asked what kind?
He said you know like formula I for cars.
I told him, yep there is, Tour De France.
His response? I have a cycle and I ride very fast, I am going to the Tour De France!
Though he has more girl friends than boys, he seems more deeply attached to his boy friends. When I go to pick him up, he makes me wait until Rithik's mom/grandma show up to pick him up. Meanwhile Rithik is happily ensconced in his air-conditioned class room and we (Gau and I) bear the brunt of the noon heat of Chennai. And once his mom does show up? they leave in a minute after hurried goodbyes. So we have been waiting in the hot sun for just another glimpse of Rithik after 3 hours of play! Gautham meanwhile wants to move his house or atleast his room right next to Rithik's!
Gau loves dinosaurs, in fact his 4th birthday cake said Happy Birthday Stegosaurus. Sowmya's mom got him a lovely dinosaur encyclopaedia for his birthday. Today he took it to school and gave it to Samyukt - "He loves dinosaurs and he will be my best friend if I give him this book." He and Samyukt are of a very similar disposition - clingy, easily drawn to tears, pretending to be animals all the time etc... Samyukt used to occupy the spot Rithik currently occupies in his favours.
He is not opposed to making fun of any of his buddies though - Rithik is currently Rithika and Madhav madhavi from the day he learnt the Rhyme "I am Madhavi from alleppey". I have no clue why he would think it is so funny to call a boy by a girl's name, but there it is.
When it comes to letting his girl friends take a toy/book home, i.e., borrow something, I have to beg, plead, cajole and threaten to get him to do it.
Is this because Sathish is the more lenient parent and I am the one who makes rules and enforces them? Or is it because he enjoys playing with his father more and he automatically feels his boy buddies are more fun? Is there a gender difference already at this tender age of 4? I am definitly not sensitive to it. I dont see any particularly girlish behaviour in Soumya/Sruthi. Raji has started playing "House" usually seen as a quintessentially girlish play.
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