To get irritated when people think my daughter is a boy?

[wonderwoman73]

OK so she's only 11 months but when she's sitting in her pushchair wearing a bright pink and red striped hat and a red coat I get really annoyed when people ask 'how old is HE?' or 'isn't HE smiley'. Unreasonable??

I got mistaken for a boy until I was about 8!!!

My 2 brothers thought is was so hilarious that they nick-named me Michael. We still laugh about it and its had no effect on me.

I think, maybe, sometimes, old ladies do it deliberately to wind you up.

Arf at this thread. My 18 mo dd gets mistaken for a boy all the time, even when dressed in pink and even though she has lots of blonde hair. Fortunately she is quite the little talker now and when some stranger looks at her she gives them a mean look and says: "WHAT?" very aggressively... That'll learn em.

My DD (8m) has been called he on occassions by random strangers.

Worst one was when DH and I went to look around a potential nursery with DD. The 'Head Teacher' (more like manager!) turned to us and said ' What is DS's name? Wouldn't have been so bad if DD hadn't been in a pink dress and she had the forms which said names: ZOE ISABELLA!!

Needless to say she won't be going there!!!

It happens all the time I'm afraid.

DS (4) has been mistaken for a girl a few times over the last few weeks so I've just made an appt. to get his hair cut.

He wears boyish clothes and his coat is very much a boys coat but whilst out and about people just seem to look at his longish hair and think hes a girl . Hes not going to have a "short back and sides" cut though!

Mind you, he does have the longest, darkest eyelashes ever so maybe thats why people think hes a girl

I'm convinced that a certain generation of old person believes that all babies/toddlers are boys. My DD1, with long curly hair, pink coat, girly dress and pink boots, was regularly assumed to be a boy - I have absolutely no idea why, so I can only think that there are some people who just assume 'boy' regardless.

I also agree with the poster who objects to 'colour-coding' children. Especially when it doesn't even work!!

Yep I get irritated by it too. It is unreasonable but I can't help but be annoyed with it. Depending on the circumstance I just let them assume DD is a boy but the times when I actually say she is a girl I find the need to justify their assumption so they don't feel bad... like "... she is wearing boys clothes today".

I much prefer boys clothes to the wishy washy pink stuff for girls so I will probably have to put up with this until DD can wear bunches!

We get this loads too, despite DD normally being dressed in skirts, and having the longest hair I've ever seen on a toddler of 20mths. I got bored with being irritated a long while ago.

My son is always described as pretty. He is 5 now and if anyone calls him a girl, he tells them in a very loud voice "I'M A BOY NOT A GIRL!!"

I've just got used to it now, and nothing will make me get his hair cut just so he looks more like a boy. He has shoulder length curly hair and he doesnt want to cut it, which is a relief cos when he finally does decide he wants short hair, i'll be crying for weeks!

My sister was assumed to be a boy til she was, well, in her teens I guess. Tomboy with short hair. But she looks like Snow White!
DS (6 months) has been assumed to be a girl a few times, but I don't dress him in much blue at all, and he is very pretty! Lovely long eyelashes, like when Bugs Bunny pretends to be a girl.

xx

Happens all the time. Both DS2 and DS3 were regularly mistaken for girls, even with short hair and dark-coloured clothes on! Not DS1, for some reason - no idea why!

I've had this & would say ignore these comments

YABU.

There are bigger issues.

I always get'aww he's lovely, he is a he isn't he?' 'yes' says I 'Oh he's far too gorgeous to be a boy'!

Always check the shoes. The shoes dont lie.

YABabitU, I have made this mistake, despite being rather cross when people mistake my gorgeous blonde ringlet DD for a boy, even when she very occasionally is in pink trousers.

Yup, YABU. People call dd a boy even when she's in a dress. I just shrug and smile.

Today, there is a much bigger picture.

FGS, people are just being friendly. I've probably even done it myself. And my dd was constantly mistaken for a boy until she was about 3. No biggie. And the babies themselves don't actually care whether someone thinks they are a boy or a girl - they just like that someone is smiling at them.

This happens to me a lot, but this is the most shocking bit.

Random Old lady "Is it a boy or girl?"
Me "She's a girl {hence all the pink}"
ROL "Never mind next time you will have a boy."

I don't live in the UK btw....

I quite often get that with ds2, it's because he was born with lots of hair people assumed he is a girl. It doesn't bother me at all. I know he is a very handsome wee boy :O

YABU - who cares - Boys are great. Girls are great

They all look the same till they get bigger, and even then some look the same!

I was a tomboy and remember a new teacher spliting the class in girls and boys for PE (aged 11). And shouting at me 'get with over with that lot boy'

have to say I just laughed and joined the boys... got 10 minutes into a game of football before I got spotted by another teacher!

anyway I hate this pink/blue rubbish, my boys are often seen donning pink/hearts/embroildery they are far to little to be split down sex lines.

I think years ago a lot of babies were dressed in frilly get-ups regardless of gender. I remember MIL buying ds1 a snowsuit with flowers all over it and being surprised when I said it was a girl's snowsuit. (Actually, I wouldn't have put it on a girl either!) But she did dress dh in some very odd thing over the years, some of his childhood photographs are very strange!

YABU people are not psychic and while you think your little girl is the prettiest baby ever or your little boy the most handsome little man the reality is it's hard to tell!

YABU, dd was often mistaken for a boy and giant ds gets mistaken for a girl. I just lap up the interest/compliments ! FWIW I dress ds in mainly dd's castoffs too (a mixture of different colours and styles, he suits pink and flowery more than dd did) - don't think it makes a difference.

(I do look back on pics where I thought dd was the prettiest little girl baby ever and she just looks like a baby. A gorgeous baby, but a baby)

Ha! I was sat at the bus station, pushing the pram back and forth, singing, 'sleepy boy, go to sleep', then remembered I'd got a dummy in the bag, so popped it in. Old lady next to me, 'oh, she likes that!'. I guess the hearing goes with age, but it reminded me of this thread.

xx