To think this was a really weird comment?

[Anon49282]

I know it's nothing ground breaking or worth dwelling on but aibu to be sat here thinking wtf?? At this conversation I had with my friend?
For context she has a 2 year old son, I have a 3 year old daughter.

We were discussing what we'd done today.
Me: And then I went and got dd a pair of trainers because she's gone up to a size 8 now.
Her: Jesus Christ! Ds is only a size 7 she's bigger than him!
Me laughing: well yeah she is a year older.
Her: But girls are supposed to be petite and have little feet.

??? I just changed the conversation and left not long after. I am completely baffled. Do people really still think that women and girls are supposed to be tiny petite creatures? She's 3 years old???

Sigh, your friend just sounds uneducated, girls grow faster than boys until puberty and then boys grow faster than girls.

I would have challenged the ridiculousness of that statement on the spot. Not in an aggressive way but instinctively, I would have reacted with a shocked laugh and a "WTF, that's ridiculous!" (also, if there's a year between them and only one shoe size, arguably she IS a super petite little thing in comparison as at that age they can go up a couple of sizes in a year. So your friend is sexist AND stupid).

Could she have been making a joke?

No she was serious. It's not the first time she's made an odd comment, some times I think she forgets are children are a year apart OR thinks that her son should be "beating" my daughter at things because he's a boy. I'm not sure which but either way I thought that comment was just so ridiculous.

Our children*

My daughter has big feet; she used to ask for smaller shoes than she needed because of remarks by kids at school when she said the size she wore. In her late teens she became a talented semi-pro footballer and was offered a place by a Bristol Rovers talent scout, but turned it down as she planned to concentrate on nursing. The idea that girls and women should have little feet is so very stupid. That woman wants putting right; she sounds ignorant and stupid.

Hah, they should see the girls in my DS's year 6 class - at least half of them over a foot taller than him with feet several sizes larger. Bless. She's delusional.

Yes, a weird comment. Unless your friend is from 17th century China, there is literally no expectation that women have dainty tiny feet anymore. Sincerely, a proud boaty mcboat foot (size 9)

Reminds me of when I bought this pram thing for my twins to encourage them to walk.

A friend asked me if I wasn't concerned it might turn them gay as a) it was a pram and b) it was pink.

I think (and hope!) she was joking

I don't like friends like this. It was a bitchy thing to say.

Adult women do have smaller feet than adult men but why would that apply to children?!

It was rude but this is a view I have heard before. There was a thread on MN about big feet with loads of women complaining on having size 6-9 uk and even more so if they are short with big feet. There were so many comments lamenting lack of dainty feminine feet and calling big feet all sorts of unkind names.
I think it's not tactical to say this sort of stuff and ideally, you just wouldn't have such views. It's all back to women taking as little space as possible, women seeming small and weak as much as possible so as not to emasculate men. It's misogynistic I think.

That is so weird! There's obviously no fact behind her statement as it's so general and not considerate of the obvious reasons why gender does not = foot size. What a strange person

She is rather silly.
Of course one year difference in toddlers is a huge gap.
Also, there is not a huge difference between all boys and girls till puberty indeed. Thinking about my daughter's classroom, I think they were quite equal till around 10 and played together all sort of games. Then girls looked a bit older than them and around 12-14 the boys took lead in height and they look stronger now, as PP said.

Yep very strange comment from her, OP.

As you said it’s not the first time she’s made a comment comparing your kids - sounds like she’s just very insecure.

As annoying as it is, don’t let her know that it bothers you. She’ll then use it to her advantage to try and make herself feel better about herself and her child. How sad.

But girls are supposed to be petite and have little feet.

Ugh. Find a new friend. I couldn't be bothered with someone that stupid.

Weird.
’What do you suggest I do, break her toes and bind her feet?’
As above, I wouldn’t have patience for that kind of stupidity.

When DD was about 6 months old I bought her a blue and white striped Babygro. She looked charming, like a little milk jug. In a supermarket, a woman asked me what 'his name was'. When I said 'Alice', she said 'Oh but you'll do her such harm dressing her in blue!'.