to wish that my niece has boys and not girls

[FunnysFuckingFreezing]

I come from a family of girls, the only DGC have been girls. We are a very female family.

My lovely niece who is 23 bought my two boys Jenga for Christmas 'to help them concentrate' .My boys are proper boyish boys and I think that when she visited in the summer she was a bit about their general boyishness. In fact my whole family are a bit about how boys are, having only had experience of us girls who would sit and read etc

I really hope that when she has DC she has proper boys and then she will realise that game of Jenga is not going to make a 2yo sit still and 'concentrate'

Incidentally we all had a ball playing Jenga with 7yo DS1 who can concentrate with the best of them!

Hmm 'proper' boys?

Are my 3 who have always liked a read not 'proper' boys then?
And my sister's 4 girls who run rounf the house screaming? I suppose they are not 'proper' girls either.

I dislike stereotyping children as it is limiting to them.

should I have prefaced this thread for the PO out there? I don't want a discussion about gender stereotyping, just a snurk at my DN buying my boys toys which would help them concentrate

Sexist shite.
You not her.

I'm not 'professionally offended' or offended at all. I'm just stating my opinion. As you've posted on AIBU and not chat, I thought that opinions were what you were after. No need to get hufffy.

Or even huffy

I like the sound of hufffy :)

Me too

i think your family is bloody weird if all the girls do is sit and read!

and 'proper' boys?

i feel sorry for your boys being raised around stupid sexist people.

You do realise that all boys & girls are individuals in their own right??

Cant believe people still separate the sexes in such a stereotypical way these days!

Seriously op your way of thinking is sexist!

This will not end well op. Incredibly sexist of you.

Bollocks OP! Just saying. Maybe your "Boyish" boys are just naughty.

yes, yes, I am very sorry and very sexist I apologise. I should have prefaced with but really thought MN would get the subtext. Anyhoo obv not so please feel free to slag me off if that's what diffuses all that Xmas angst.

and SHS

I love it. Jenga to make a 2 year old concentrate
I think she prob just doesn't know much about kids if she thinks that 2 year olds can concentrate on anything other than pooping.
I don't think I know of any girls that age who would actually play a game of jenga. So for that, yabu.

I do see what OP is saying. My boys can be boisterous and nutty (but not always, ds1 is a reader) especially at this time of year and my sister, who has no kids but wears her judgy pants somewhere around her eyebrows, can't be doing with them at all. She thinks they should e quiet and calm "like girls" (her words).

I think it's a stereotype enforced by society.
Girls = calm.
Boys = bonkers.

I'm another who doesn't have 'proper boys'! .

Mine loved Jenga, like reading and can sit and concentrate!

FFF I get where you're coming from - everyone's being a bit touchy it seems.

Here's my nugget of gender difference observation from today. I knew I HAD to take my 2 boys (3 and 13) out for a walk (or something) today even though the weather was totaly foul. If they hadn't have had exercise they would have broken the furniture or each other (and my resolve not to wig out).

Of course I know that not ALL boys have a need to burn off physical energy in this way, but IME the families with boys in will nod knowingly when you talk about such things. Of the people who talk about rainy days of craft activites, most have girls.

I want to snurk too - fab word

I get where you're coming from too. I'm not saying all boys are boisterous and all girls are calm BUT in my experience I have found this to be the case to an extent. I once read boys are like dogs and must get fresh air every day lol (light hearted!) and that struck a cord with me, my ds loves to be outside, constantly moving, try to sit down with a book and he's not really interested. My nieces on the other hand love to read, spell words etc. Also have worked in a primary school and in general this is the case. Not to say there aren't 'boisterous' girls and nice versa.

I also think I know where you are coming from, and believe it's the 1950s.

My girls have to get outside and run around a lot. If they didn't, we'd all be climbing the walls. I'm sure there are some of these demure little girls around who like to sit still and do calm things in dresses with peter pan collars trimmed with lace, but I don't know any. All the girls I know are too busy climbing and falling out of trees and having water pistol fights. (it's hot here.)

Poor FFF You walked right into this I'm afraid. There are certain things you just can't say on MN and this is one of them.

I have three boys, btw.

2/10, I think

My son reads and plays with his toy kitchen, pretending to make casseroles like mummy.

Where did I go wrong?!

Ds is just turned 3 and sat for ages playing Lego yesterday.

He also loves running around.

Nothing to do with being "proper" boy, just being himself

Jenga is shit for any 2 yr old but a 7 yr old should be able to manage and enjoy it regardless of sex.

You know YHaveBU but are now backtracking with the lighthearted comment