But while I was there, I got to glimpse interesting and wonderous things, as well as come to some of my own conclusions about the differences between boys and girls. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but in general I can say this:
Girls tend to train their brain before boys. Boys tend to train their body before girls.
It's just the way it is. Things tend to even out as they get older, but time after time I would watch them naturally just- well... what comes natural.
If you put a bunch of toddlers in a room full of different types of toys, books, and art supplies you may be suprised at what happens if you watch closely. Girls gravitate toward things that they can use their brain with- books of course, but also things they can use their imagination with. Playing house, placing blocks that are different shapes in the correct spaces, and drawing shapes that have some sort of meaning.
Boys look for things to do. Kick a ball, push a truck, build a tower from legos or blocks. Action and reaction is what it is all about. They are infatuated with anything that moves and has wheels, pushing toy cars and trucks back and forth all afternoon. I insisted on doing some kind of art every day, and the boys always loved finger paint or when I would just spray a whole can of shaving cream on the table and let them go to town.
It was so fun to watch them push the paint or shaving cream around, making mountains and watching the waves of color and cream move and change. Usually the girls enjoyed collage or drawing over this type of "art", preferring to create something from nothing and then proudly declaring, "Look! I made a house!"
My boy is no different than many of the ones I watched over as a young teacher. He loved shaving cream, but wheels are his true love. Matchbox cars, Tonka trucks, firetrucks, Transformers....you name it, he had it. He would line all of his cars up one by one in a line and drive them around. For hours.
As a pre-teen, he no longer plays with his Matchbox cars or Transformers. But his favorite movies involve fast cars, and he can name just about every single car that is out there. By make and year.
Every year, our town puts on a festival that involves a car show. You'll find every kind of vehicle there, from old to new, two-seaters to souped-up SUVs. All in all I would say there are at least 100 cars there, with their owners all hovering close by to make sure no one actually touches their pride and joy.
And every year, the 11-year old looks forward to perusing each vehicle that is displayed.
Every. Vehicle.
He literally walks around every single car, keeping his hands in his pockets to stave off the urge to reach out and fondle these masterpieces of machinery. No section is left unnoticed, from the wheel rims to the trunk to the all-important engine. He even pokes his head into each one to see how high the manometer reads...
It's cute for about the first half hour. After that I just find a shady tree and sit down until he's finished. Every once in a while I can see him get really excited over a certain car, and he'll turn to me from across the field and point at something. I just nod my head and smile, wishing I had a book to read or paper and a glue stick to make a collage...
Tonight's picture represents a boy's love of anything with wheels. I wish I understood it, but I don't think I'm meant to. Some people love horses, some are sports fanatics. Others are infatuated with art or books. I myself had more Transformers than Barbie Dolls as a child, and can still remember my wooden block set. So nothing in general is set in stone from the beginning just because you are a boy or a girl. But I do believe that you show tendencies towards what your personality and likes/dislikes are going to be from a very early age. And I have a feeling my son will never be one of those people who doesn't really care what kind of car he drives...
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