I remember studying the "nature vs. nurture" debate in psych 101. We wondered whether gender roles are inborn or if we push them on kids. Ten years later, I have to say my son is all boy. He loves to smash toys into each other. Every time he passes a toy car or truck, he rolls it back and forth. He throws a ball, chases it, and throws it again. He's also a budding (ugh) reluctant reader. Some magical days he will sit in my lap and let me read books to him. Most of the time, he will only pay attention if the book has textures, noises, or moving parts he can manipulate. His favorite book, Moo by Matthew Van Fleet, has all three.
We spent yesterday evening with a family with a girl baby his age. We watched her cradle her stuffed toys. Xander loves to try and pick their eyes out, play with their feet and hair, and bang them on the side of his crib, but I have never seen him hug a stuffed toy. The girl baby cries when her parents tell her, "no!" When we tell Xander "no", he stops what he is doing, then tries again. And again. Then he waits for me to turn my back, so he can do whatever it was he wanted to do in peace.
I think we are going to have some tough toddler and elementary years.
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