to think that people should believe that my daughter genuinely IS a girl when I tell them that she is?

[cryhavoc]

Took DD(2.4) into town this morning. Had a pleasamt potter around, went to the park for a while, then stopped at the chip shop to get some lunch. (Treat for us both - she had been - save for a small Peppa Pig related incident - very good, and I have been to the gym five times this week. So a portion of chips to share.)

No one else is in the chip shop. I sit DD on the counter and order the food, and the Greek owner offers her a chip. She says, 'Yes please,' takes it and says 'Thank you.' Pleased and a bit surprised by her impeccable manners I say, 'Good girl.'.
Old man is surprised.
'But he's a boy!'
'No,' I insist, 'She's a girl.'
He looks incredulous, gestures at her (admittedly paltry) hair, 'So why have you cut off her hair to make her look like a boy?'
I try to explain that I haven't cut it, it just hasn't grown yet, he won't have any of it and tells me I am very mean for cutting all her lovely hair off when I have long hair myself.
'What's her name then?' he asks.
Now, DD has a Welsh name, that does sound a little like Theo. So when I tell him what she is called he shouts, 'Ha!' triumphantly. 'Theo! Boys name! He is a boy!'

At this point we say thank you, wave bye bye and leave.

Now maybe her hair has been quite slow to grow (I get really jealous of her friends with longer hair.) and today she was dressed in denim dungarees that could be seen as a bit neutral, but is it unreasonable of me to expect him to believe me when I said that she is, actually, a GIRL?

There are pictures on my profile, so please feel free to tell me if you think she looks like a boy too.

But to be honest, the chips were so delicious that I don't really begrudge him his opinion...

YANBU, he should have believed you!

She does like a boy in the bottom two pics. I think when they are that young, most people tend to only judge on what they are wearing! She looks very cute though!

God I looked like a boy till I was 8 or 9 - I was stick thin, always dressed in my brother's cast offs and my mum cut my loose Afro curls really short.

The number of times I was asked to leave ladies toilets was depressing.

Doesn't sound like you're intentionally making your DD look like a boy though!

Bloke was incensed when he returned from work and I told him...shocked that anyone would think his little princess looked like a boy.

Daddies and their blinkers, eh?

She does look like a boy though....he was probably joking with you, just something to say that he took too far. He should have stopped the ribbing if he saw your annoyance but he obviously lacked the social graces.

Truthfully in the second two pics it is a bit hard to tell, but in the first pic she is clearly a beautiful little girl.

People used to think DS1 was a girl (he was a really "pretty" baby) but we only ever had one person not believe he was not a she

My DD is the same age and also has very little hair. (It is growing, but ooh so slowly. I get so depressed at the number of people who ask me if I've cut it!) I dress her mostly in practical clothes of all colours, so 9 times out of 10 she gets taken for a boy. Someone suggested to me the other day that I reply 'oh I'm not actually sure if it's a he or a she, my husband does all the nappy changes you see.'

But with more elderly people, I think the very idea of a girl wearing trousers is enough to make them think 'boy'. I don't think your DD looks like a boy at all in the pictures, but then given my own experience I'm pretty practised at telling the difference

My DS had longish hair at 2. He was constantly called a girl despite wearing boys' clothes so I brought him out one day in a top with BOY in large caps written across the front. Everyone still thought he was a girl.

She is lovely, and has a girly/pretty face.

My DS is about the same age, and everyone thinks he's a girl.(See profile.)

cryhavoc Are you sure your DD isn't called Amelia?'

She looks exactly like DGD 2.5. To make it worse DGD's hair is very white.

There is hope though. DGD 7 was the same at that age and now has beautiful hair half way down her back.

Just thought. First you have some old guy in the fish shop insisting your DD is a DS and now you have a grandma asking you if you're sure you know your own child's name

Truly it was meant as a joke. I"m pretty sure you know your own child's name.

She's adorable. And looks a bit like a boy and a bit like a girl, but that seems to be normal for toddlers. And well done on the impeccable manners training - seems to be less normal for toddlers!

op my dd was very sparse of hair at your dd's age but dont panic my dd is 4.6 yrs now & her hair is down to her waist & lovely & thick
your dd is beautiful .

Seriously? This is a non-issue - sounds like it might be better for your mental health to up the gym sessions to 6x per week!

Cranky he's gorgeous. Very jealous of his hair!

Coralanne Yep, definitely sure.

Skihorse No, not seriously at all. I've actually stated throughout the thread that I found it funny and only posted it to lighten AIBU up a bit. My mental health is fine, thank you very much, although 6 sessions a week starts from next week. (Easing in gently)