Melanie is right, at least in my sample of boys…. Paddy would definitely take the cute little butterfly barrettes and make them battle each other. This is what he does with his Beanie Babies.
However, Paddy yesterday solemnly watched Barbie: The Twelve Dancing Princesses with a homeschool friend of his (a girl, needless to add) at Stations of the Cross. (the other mom brought movies because it was extremely hot, really too hot to play outside which is what they usually do) He cried when we had to leave in the middle of the happy ending, during the wedding scene. He also danced balletically every time the twelve princesses and his little friend did so.
About a year ago Paddy took one of those glow in the dark stars and put it on Frodo (our Aussie-shepherd dog’s) head and said, “Now Frodo is a princess!”
It’s funny to watch them figure that stuff out. In my experience, girls get gender-conscious just a bit earlier than boys do. When Paddy did his ballet routine, his friend M was a bit torn. She wanted a companion to her dancing, but she was a bit uncomfortable about him doing something she saw as strictly a “girlie thing”. She would say, “Paddy, it’s time to dance!” and then “You’d better sit down, Paddy…”. This was completely lost on him.
