Boys will be boys

Ethan catching worms!

Emily playing in her crib.

It's strange but in our close circle of friends I know very few people who have children of both sexes. Must be something in the water! Luckily, we have both - an amazingly active 4-year-old boy and a sweet, cuddly (almost) 2-year old girl. Seeing them interact and watching their individuality develop has amazed me, especially now that Emily is becoming more independent and really showing her personality. Growing up with two sisters, I was never around many boys, so Ethan's "boyness" has been eye opening, to say the least. There is nothing he would rather do than wrestle and play sports - all boy! Now, Emily, on the other hand, would prefer caring for her babies and playing "night-night" with her puppy blanket. To see the stark differences between boys and girls leaves me dumbfounded. If I wasn't witnessing this in my own house, I never would have believed that two children in the same family can be so different. Of course, Ethan and Emily play together and enjoy each other's company, but their interests are so far from each other. Today this was more evident than ever. I babysat two of Ethan and Emily's closest friends, Max and Ella. As soon as Max walks in the door, Ethan and he talk of ninjas. Ella comes in and Emily jumps up and down to see her friend. A quick hello and they are all off to play. As Emily and Ella cook me meals and wear their backpacks to "school", I hear Knight Ethan and Knight Max running up the stairs to save the day, swords in hand. Emily and Ella sit on the floor tickling each other's toes. Ethan and Max "fly" off the bed. The girls push Emily's baby around in the stroller. The boys battle imaginary monsters. The girls laugh and giggle. The boys roar and shout. But they all make me smile. To watch all this feels a bit surreal, like I am stuck in some psychology experiment on nature verses nurture. Regardless of the fact that the girls are such girls and the boys will be boys. I love them. I love that Ethan can be fighting bad guys one minute and then stop in his tracks to sweetly offer Emily a hand, helping her when she has fallen. I love that Emily hugs her babies when they "cry" but then laughs hysterically when Ethan gets silly and pretends to be hurt. When I look at my kids, the differences between boys and girls are so apparent but they are both such amazing kids, we are truly lucky to see it unfold. My boy may always be tough and rough but I hope he grows into a sensitive, caring man. And my biggest wish for Emily is that she become a strong, beautiful woman. As their mom, this seems a daunting task. For now, I think I will just go back to playing dress-up and tomorrow we'll save the world.