A Real Guy's Guy, Most of the Time

Josh is really a Guy's guy. He laughs when he farts or burps, has been making car noises and has been pushing cars around since he could sit up. He gives me a big belly laugh when I make pretend hurling sounds. I was really amazed at how much "boy" seemed to have been hard-wired into him. It is everything that I've seen and been told about boys.

But Josh still has his sensitive side. He has a fondness for purses, sticking his chubby little arm out straight so I can hang a bag in the crook of his arm. He helps to take care of Lucy's dolls, feeding them bottles and doing "nice, nice" on their heads when we pretend to make them cry. He also is comfortable enough in his little manhood to dress-up in Lucy's Cinderella costume. He'll drag it out of the dress-up box and hold it out for me and grunt at me and will not stop until he is outfitted as Lucy's favorite princess.

Is this a problem, I don't think so. You see at the present, it is simply a matter of inventory. Someday our dress-up wardrobe will expand and there will be Fireman costumes, Cowboys, Football players and all the other outfits that are more appropriate for a boy. But for right now we are knee deep in Ariel, Cinderella and everything girly.

Lucy right now is trying to reconcile gender for herself. She'll say things like "Girls like girl stuff and boys like boy stuff." I try to explain that you can like whatever you want. I remind her of her Superman pajamas and Spiderman vitamins. "Oh yeah," and the lightbulb goes off in her head. Josh hasn't reached that point obviously, he doesn't think anything of wearing a Cinderella costume or playing with dolls - for him it is just all a big exploration of play. I could really give a hoot and holler about him carrying a purse or wearing Lucy's beads. As long as my little, handsome guy is happy then I am a happy Mom.