Comments on fever: I went to a babyshower for one of my fatgirls on S...

I'm a personal fan of little girl dressed in P...

2010-02-03T13:49:41.997-05:00

I'm a personal fan of little girl dressed in Punky Brewster rainbow primary colors. Wow, I'm showing my age. (Which if anyone asks is 23- I just look mature).

I'd want to say I wouldn't drown my future...

2010-02-03T13:20:20.333-05:00

I'd want to say I wouldn't drown my future daughter in pink, but I can't be sure I wouldn't get caught up in it just a little. It's a bit tempting, though I don't want to go too far down that princess road.

Blogga, please is my new fave expression.

Oh, my goodness, I'm exhausted just reading th...

2010-02-03T12:36:09.975-05:00

Oh, my goodness, I'm exhausted just reading this. Thank goodness I didn't see it before I had kids. Altho you seriously might want to think about publishing this as birth control. A whole new career...
Jake is too cute. But he needs some better girl-books, no?
As usual, you never cease to amaze me with your writing. Too clever!

http://www.islandroar.com/

I've always said there is a reason I have thre...

2010-02-03T12:35:37.574-05:00

I've always said there is a reason I have three boys. I love girl clothes, hair, shoes, makeup. But my girlyness stops there. My mom said even as a kid, I would be all dressed up in a dress (I refused pants) and patent leather Mary-Janes, out climbing the trees and playing cars in the mud. I'm still like that. I don't know what I would do if I had to host a "tea party" with a girl child.

http://dailyinfluences.blogspot.com/

Your ovaries throw a party and mine shrivel up and...

2010-02-03T12:35:17.127-05:00

Your ovaries throw a party and mine shrivel up and die a little at the thought of a little girl, who will one day be a teen girl....

I'm all for skipping those horrible prince charming type stories and limiting your little girl's play toys to "girlie" toys, but glitter? There's nothing sexist about glitter. It's shiny goodness.

PS - I thought of you when I rented Coraline over the weekend. That is the scariest kids movie I've ever seen.

A child after my own heart: observant, intelligent...

2010-02-03T07:05:37.615-05:00

A child after my own heart: observant, intelligent and manipulative! Keeps a mom on her toes. Excellent!

I hate pink. It's right there in my blog profile. That's how much I hate it. I'm not a fancy girl. I have pottery, not china. I like straight lines and earth tones and black. I wear my hair really short now and, while I played them, I was only ever average at sports and I dropped out of college.

My daughter has hair down below her butt, was literally MVP in basketball, soccer and softball, is in grad school and on occasion wears pink. She is the kid everyone at school was afraid to cross. It all works itself out.

haha you're great. always a great read. i hav...

2010-02-02T23:31:44.693-05:00

haha you're great. always a great read.

i have two daughters ages 10 and 8 (shit im old!) and my oldest is more the girlie girl and my youngest is the tough, borderline tomboy, meanie...well fake meanie because she is sweet as hell. she's also the middle child.

my wife is just like my younger daughter so she has an archetype right in front of her of what she will be like. my wife is sweet and beautiful but can come across as mean, or to be frank, a bitch. she's tatted up and usually has her pulled back and dresses in sweat pants or jeans unless we're going somewhere that requires fancier attire.

a woman recently told my wife she was crazy for letting our kids dress themselves. she couldnt believe that we allow our kids to head to school in shit that doesnt match or was 'over done'. sometimes the 8 year old will throw on excessive sweaters for no apparent reason. but anyway we dont care because we want them to feel in control of things that are appropriate for kids to handle and attire is absolutely in their grasp. in our opinion of course...for the record, i could see your 'daughter' dressing like my 8 year old

girls do that bedtime-manipulation shit, too. and...

2010-02-02T16:40:30.303-05:00

girls do that bedtime-manipulation shit, too.

and yes, horses.
and no barbies because i said so.
and yes reading.
and no sparkly word on asses because i said so.
and wear whatever you want with the exception of things with sparkly words on asses.
and comb your hair if it needs it.
and if you don't want to comb your hair i will chop it off. yes i will.

that is all for now.

1. I've pretty much always had an emo boy'...

2010-02-02T14:42:03.721-05:00

1. I've pretty much always had an emo boy's haircut. My mom chopped it all off when I was too young to do anything about it, and I never had the energy to grow it out myself.

2. I also compensate for this with the eyeliner, just in case. I suppose however, that these days that could still be confused as an emo boy.

3. I saw a mother and baby daughter both dressed in outrageous shades of pink today. From their pants to their sweaters to their coats and hats. It was like a giant blob of pink vomit and I was appalled. I would have been less outraged if they were both wearing matching Canadian tuxedos. My child (if that ever happens) will never be seen in public in pink.

When they told me that Aaron was going to be a gir...

2010-02-02T14:39:37.431-05:00

When they told me that Aaron was going to be a girl I panicked. I had no clue on what to do with a girl baby or girl child. Slowly but surely I got used to the idea of having a girl. I was going to wing it and hope it worked out. Then Aaron was born male and I realized the universe gave me exactly what I could handle.

I love this post! Tell Jake it IS tough being a g...

2010-02-02T12:13:54.384-05:00

I love this post!

Tell Jake it IS tough being a girl, but girls are strong enough to handle what life throws at them.

Too deep? Probably not for Jake. That kids thought process is amazing. He obviously thinks alot like you. . . at 200 mph.

I think you would be the perfect Mom for a little girl! You would be so cool with her. I think you would shock yourself.

...cause we all know men's junk isn't gett...

2010-02-02T11:34:05.208-05:00

...cause we all know men's junk isn't getting bigger...

(for the longer cut crotches)

I'm alive.

God, Jake is waaaay too wise for this planet! How...

2010-02-02T11:33:46.547-05:00

God, Jake is waaaay too wise for this planet! How insightful-- what is he, the Dalai Lama of the Greater Philadelphia Region??? Holy crap!

Anyway, my little girl was her own independent person (still is) and more than once I heard comments that 'she's more like a boy than a girl'. Never a tomboy, just sort of not gender-typed... She's strong and independent, and I'm so proud of her.

The one thing I find about the clothes and stuff you see for little girls today is that they're either 'slut-ready' or 'princess'. They both make me hurl, so it's very time-consuming to find clothes that are just normal for girls. Clothes that don't restrict, confine, or expose them... It can be done, it just takes tremendous effort.

You know, you can TRY to keep that stuff out of th...

2010-02-02T10:14:13.772-05:00

You know, you can TRY to keep that stuff out of their repertoire. The truth is, if they have a propensity for it, it will happen. Sometimes that girly crap is genetic.

I have a mom friend who is a college professor. Feminist studies. Her daughter is OBSESSED with pink, leopard print, skirts and girly shoes. They tried their best to keep it outta there. And at the age of nine, she's got waist-length hair with bows, pink dresses and cheetah boots. Ugh.

"Is it okay to cornrow whitebaby hair? Be...

2010-02-02T09:46:17.241-05:00
"Is it okay to cornrow whitebaby hair? Because I'm open to that option."

OMFG. You are one funny chica. I adore you and the way you think. You are one big charming contradiction, and yet, you make perfect sense.

I want us to be sisters. Immediately if not sooner.

Send me the papers. Thank you.

I know I don't want to do pink and ruffles and...

2010-02-02T09:27:47.246-05:00
I know I don't want to do pink and ruffles and "happily ever after." But I know that if I have to I will, and I just may enjoy it one day.

Kids are funny. Right now my boy would wear his two football jerseys everyday of the week if I let him. He also has a thing for heels. I never thought I'd be telling my toddler "no more high heels." Or wrestling frilly tulle and lace and satin Easter dresses away from him at the store. Or chasing him through the boys' department while he clutches hot pink glitter pajamas.

You just never know what you're gonna get.

As the mother of a girl who loves all things frill...

2010-02-02T09:10:47.227-05:00
As the mother of a girl who loves all things frilly, let me assure you that you would have been fine. Just as I am fine. Because no matter what, your child is who THEY want to be. ultimately, you are just along for the ride.

I am a tomboy. My daughter is a princess who refuses to wear anything but dresses that swirl.

Drives me nuts. But...she is strong, smart and self reliant.

The clothes don't matter too much.

You know, you could at least mention (or at least ...

2010-02-02T08:31:37.752-05:00
You know, you could at least mention (or at least write an amendment) that I was also appalled when I saw those books. Don't want your readers thinking your brother is raising a girl in awful ways.

OMG Jake is just too cute for words! What an insig...

2010-02-02T07:59:26.694-05:00
OMG Jake is just too cute for words! What an insightful, loving little boy you have, you should be very proud of him and you too for raising such a great kid! By the way as I was reading this I thought back to my childhood and remembered having to wear those frilly lacy underpants and I hated them. I could never seem to stay seated on my booster seat, the damn lace gave no traction and I was always slipping away to the floor!

If you had a girl she would probably love pink and...

2010-02-02T07:28:07.809-05:00
If you had a girl she would probably love pink and tutus. It is the law of opposites. I love how you ended the post. Life isn't always a fairy tale. It rarely is.

As somebody who really wants a girl (or two), I re...

2010-02-02T07:07:57.288-05:00
As somebody who really wants a girl (or two), I read this post and think, "Right on. Powerful, independant, defining-her-own-gender-expectations kid is what I'd raise."

But then I think of the example of my best friends back in Michigan. Goth/Industrial parents, into all things dark and geeky. The daughter? Pink. Pink, pink, pinktastically pinkest of all. We used to talk about how girly she was, and wonder where she got it from. Disney? Grandparents? Secret Taffeta-pushing Bogeymen?

Us: "Hey Trin! What do you want to be when you grow up?"
4-year-old Trin: "Married."

I'll never forget the day I got this triumphant phone call from her dad, when she was about 6-

Trin's Dad: "Pat! I took Trin to get some work out stuff, y'know, like a track suit?"

Me: "Yeah..."

Trin's Dad: "And SHE CHOSE THE BLACK ONE! There was even pink, and she wanted the black one!!!! I just had to tell somebody! Okay, bye."

Me: "Um...bye?"

[Scary no cost addendum: neither of these anecdotes seem that long ago, and Trin has a driver's license now.)

OMG, "It's a boy" were the sweetest ...

2010-02-02T06:15:29.728-05:00
OMG, "It's a boy" were the sweetest words the sonogram tech and then the doc in the delivery room said to me - twice. WTF would I do with a girl? And the PMS? I couldn't handle the PMS. I'm glad my sister had a girl. I can buy the cutesy and borrow her and then give her back to her rightful parents. There was a time my ovaries used to ache for 1.5 seconds, but then I got a nasty stomach virus this weekend and I was reminded of what it's like when I'm pregnant, so NO WAY IN HELL, NEVER EVER AGAIN.

I love the last part about leaving home, never going back, being happy, and that's all that matters. A-MEN.

Having one of each, I would say that my girl hates...

2010-02-01T23:57:55.419-05:00
Having one of each, I would say that my girl hates her brothers clothes. He wears them to bits.

As for the pink, the lengths to go to avoid it are not worth the trouble. I just dress her in Girl clothes, not mini-sexy clothes.

I tell JT to get his own water, too. Power to t...

2010-02-01T23:23:48.628-05:00
I tell JT to get his own water, too.

Power to the boy raisers.

Girl, I don't love me any kind of pink, and ye...

2010-02-01T22:06:46.708-05:00
Girl, I don't love me any kind of pink, and yet my daughter lives in it. She's only 3 -9 days, so it's not like she's picking them out herself. And you'd be surprised, purple is unusual to find, so I kind of like it. Though browns (almost always w. pink now, tho) and greens and blues work, too! ;)