26.9.10

Gender differences according to Miss Lu

Lucy is starting to notice differences among people. She's pretty big on making sure she understands the differences between boys and girls, for example. As in, she likes to play with her friends and form a "girls club" from which little brothers are excluded. At least until they ask if they can play too, and then she and her friends change their club to be a "boys and girls" club. (Parents are still not included.)
Keira, Lucy, and Johnny: regular members of the "boys and girls" club 
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A few weeks ago, Nick took her out on a "Daddy Date" to McDonalds. When they returned, he told me they had had a conversation that left him a bit sad ...

          Miss Lu: Daddy, I'm a little sad, because boys are more special for Heavenly Father than girls.

          Mr. Nick: No they're not. Why do you think that?

          Miss Lu: Because they get to be God's special helpers, and the girls don't. [At church, she calls the boys who bless and pass the sacrament God's special helpers.]

I know there are all kinds of explanations we can give her, but it still makes me sad that at five years old she's noticing this difference and drawing the conclusion that it means boys are more special to God than girls.
Daddy + Daughter: at the kiva ruins at Bandelier National Park
***

On Friday, we took Lucy downtown to watch the Homecoming parade. It's a pretty big deal here in town. The schools let out two hours early and the town pretty much comes to a stop at 2:30 in the afternoon, at which point the main street is closed down and the parade begins.

Everyone and everything is in the parade. Homecoming royalty, football teams (high school, of course, but junior high too), cheerleaders, the marching band, more bands, dance troupes, rugby teams, soccer teams, gymnastic clubs, firefighters, police, realtors—basically anyone who wants to put together a float (or just hop in a car) in support of the homecoming game is welcome to march.

Lucy, Grace, and Hazel get ready for the parade
We went with the Maxwells and the Hansens; the kids sat on the curb cheering happily. Nick coached them on how to hold their hands out to catch the candy that the various marchers were tossing out (that's a big part of the tradition here—we went home with at least a pound of candy, maybe more).

There was a huge section of the parade made up of cub scouts and boy scouts. There were probably four or five different cub scout packs marching by at one point. Lucy looked them over and asked Nick "Who are they?"

Nick told her they were cub scouts. Of course, Miss Lu followed up with "I want to be a cub scout! Can I be one when I'm bigger?" I don't know what he said in response.

It's a little thing, I know. She's at an age where she wants to try anything and everything that looks remotely fun. But still I'm surprised at how much she notices, and I wonder how she will continue to process the differences she runs into.








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