I know my little boy is cute. I know he is. I can't help but know because people tell me constantly. He is precious- those big blue eyes, that shaggy blond hair, those permanently rosy cheeks. Not to mention the always slightly devilish look on his face...
I also know very well that most times someone calls your child by the wrong gender, they don't mean anything by it. They'll be walking by and look at your little girl and say "Oh, isn't he just the sweetest thing." It's really not a big deal. I kind of chuckle at my friends who get all in a wad about this. Most people just default in their heads to what they know. This person probably had a new baby nephew or grandsons or her next door neighbor has a boy... They see a baby and a certain gender registers in their head and that's all it is. It's not really a commentary on your child. At all.
Yet it's suddenly irking me. Turtle has been the subject of far too many gender mistakes lately. I guess the thing is, it's not just in passing. Example: some young girls were talking to him at a restaurant the other night (young, early 20s young). They must have paid attention to him for at least 30 minutes as he played on the patio with Lila. As they were leaving one bent down and asked Truitt what he had in his hand. He held up his little paw clutching a construction action figure and she said "Oh, you're a girl after my own heart. I played with boy toys when I was a baby too." WHAT?!?!
And that was just one incident. Yes, I will grant you- he has shaggy hair. But it's not long and flowy and in a ponytail. I mean, those girls must have just thought I had bad child fashion sense to continue to think Tru was a girl all night rather than look at what he was wearing (cargos and a hoodie) and think he must be a boy!! ANd it has happened over and over and over again. Today at Whole Foods, last night out at dinner, just about everyday for the last 6 days. It never happened much before that, but I have to wonder if this is going to start to be an issue. I mean, I don't really care. Sometimes I correct people, but usually I don't... It's just gotten to the point of surreal...
So, in honor of all the people who think Turtle is a girl, this one goes out to you:
5 comments:
Ha ha ha...Benjamin has been a pretty little girl most of his life. I totally understand. I always say, "thank you, her name is Benjamin".
He is lovely. Still hard for me to see "girl" when I look at him though.
We are getting this so much with Miles right now. The lack of humidity is really making his hair long. He doesn't seem to care, and just tells people "I'm a boy!"
But the people who make the mistake seem to get really embarrassed. We are thinking about getting him his first haircut for his 4th birthday next month...
He's cute...but he's all boy!
Maybe you've just started noticing it. Kind of like when you're trying to get pregnant and all of a sudden everyone is pregnant. So you noticed it once, and suddenly it seems as if everyone says it.
Yeah...he's all boy.
Joe gets it all the time too... it's just cause they are so "pretty!"
but, I do see ALL boy when I see Tru!
That last picture is simply stunning. I wish you knew how hard I am laughing over here.
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