boys and girls

Having a son and a daughter has been such an interesting experience for me. Not a day goes by where I don't see some distinct difference in the way they play or express themselves.

When Stephen was just about three years old, we purchased these geometrical shapes for him. They're the kind of item that only a new parent picks up for their kid in hopes of making them smart! Although I pulled them out almost daily, Stephen was never interested in them. He always chose his matchbox cars and spent all of his playtime "driving" his cars across the sofa or the table or my leg. The geometrical shapes were put away and considered the rejected toy around the house.

I held onto them in case my daughter eventually showed interest in them. When Abigail turned 5, I pulled out the ol' geometrical shapes and to my surprise she took right to them. She spent long periods of time sitting at the table or playing on the floor, carefully taking her time to place each shape in the right pattern sequence provided. I was a happy mother!

Once Stephen saw how much fun his sister was having with them, he decided to get in on the action...in his own special way that is.

Here is Abbie's creation. As you can see, all the shapes are flat on the ground in some specific order. This is how they were "meant" to be played with.



Here is a picture of Stephen's creation. Instead of laying the shapes flat on the ground, he opted to build upward. He also made sure his matchbox cars were a part of things...



ahhhh....the joys of boys and girls.