Boys will be Boys?

I don't have any daughters to make comparisons, but I am continually taken by surprise by the number of gender stereotypes that my sons fit into. I mean, my husband is more of a nurturing caretaker much of the time than I am, and he is home with the boys about twice as much as I am during the school year. We have always bought dolls along with cars and trucks, Dora as well as Diego (though we try to steer clear of the characters anyway, but that's another post). We try not to limit their choices by saying something is "for girls" or "for boys," even when Jabberwock insists on carrying a purse with a lipstick case and a cute little red coin purse/wallet.

Today, I was happy when Jabberwock and Monkey wanted to bring their baby doll to daycare. Monkey was holding and cuddling the baby while Jabber got ready to go, and then Jabber carried the baby carefully out to the van, talking sweetly to him while he buckled up, and giving kisses on the baby's little tummy. We drove off, and I was thinking about how nice it is that my boys are learning how to be good daddies. How nurturing they are with the doll. How evolved my two sons will be when they are grown men. How gender roles are made to be broken.

Then, from the backseat I hear Jabber making a funny noise: "PSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Monkey cracks up, and soon both boys are raucous with giggles and "PSSSSSS!"

"What are you guys laughing at?" I ask.

Jabber is laughing so hard he can barely answer me, but he finally manages, "The baby is peeing all over Monkey! PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Oh, yes. Highly evolved, indeed.

True to their boyish nature, it only took about a half mile of PSSSSSing before they were also PFFFFTTTTing--laughing all the while like it was the funniest thing on earth. I suppose potty humor is gender neutral, but leave it to my sons to interrupt my smug little thoughts about transcending society's rules and roles with a good round of pissing and farting.