Gender Differences

Gender Differences

As a child my earliest memory with experiencing gender differences occurred on a family vacation in St.  George Island.  I was around the age of ten.   My sisters and l had just gotten our hair did and we were ready to have fun.  I remember seeing a small water park about a block from our hotel.  After settling in our room, my brother and his friend decided to go check it out.  I remember being so excited, it was hot so I knew the cool water would be refreshing.  I ran to ask my mom and dad if we could go with my brothers.  Their response was prompt and to the point.  No!!!  My mom explained in a gentle voice that my brother and his friend were boys so they could go off by their selves as long as it wasn’t too far.  My sisters and I would have to wait on my parents to escort us to the pool. My thought process at the time was what makes them so special.   My brother was a year younger than me and I just couldn’t understand why he was able to do things that I wasn’t.  As a mother I find myself doing the same thing with my boys, I’ll let them do things that my girls aren’t allowed to do such as sleep overs.  My only reasoning is that I was always taught that you have to be careful with girls; you can’t have them around just anybody.  While I do realize there are predators that target little girls and boys, I’m extra careful with my girls, because that’s how I was raised.              

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