Boys and Girls

Now that I've been parenting a boy and two girls for over a year now, a number of people have asked me about the dynamic with my kids and what it was like becoming the mom of two girls all of a sudden. I am hardly an expert on anything about these kids or about adoption but here are just a few of my observations:

1. One immediate change in my parenting was that I had to start thinking more about clothes and hair things. Ethel and Mutale are extremely interested in how they look. They love girly clothes and little hair ties and barrettes and the like. Lucas isn't really into that stuff although he occasionally combs his hair and talks about how handsome he is.

2. Before adoption I would try not to curse as I stepped barefoot on matchbox cars and legos. Now I try not to curse as I step barefoot on matchbox cars, legos, tiny doll brushes, and the above-mentioned hair ties and barrettes, beads, etc.

3. Just because a little girl is sitting on the toilet, doesn't mean she might not get pee on the floor.

4. Both little girls and little boys love to play house, dress-up, wedding, etc. But, only Lucas seems to decide mid-game that he is actually a monster that is now going to eat up everyone. Ethel and Mutale would quietly play at their kitchen forever if Lucas wasn't there to shake things up. But let's face it, everyone loves to play monsters too.

5. When a bunch of boys are playing together you can call them a gang, but when a bunch of girls are playing together you might as well call them a giggle.

6. When it comes to the dynamic between all my kids I will say that we are so lucky. The kids seem totally bonded and pretty tight. Lucas and Mutale both look up to their big sister, Ethel, and they do compete a bit for attention. But when she is off at school, Luke and Mu are the best of friends.

7. Lastly, I've observed that both little boys and little girls love to dance around naked in front of the bathroom mirror. I don't know if it is vanity or pure silliness but whenever I walk into the bathroom I am likely to catch a kid goofing off in front of the mirror... making faces, shaking their booties, you name it.

8. The idea of parenting girls kind of scared me and I always pictures having boys. But in the end, they still like Lightning McQueen and they still loving getting completely filthy, they just get completely filthy in princess dresses...