I remember one conversation I had with my mom when I mentioned being glad I was born when I was and in a first world country because I bet I’d have been stoned by Age 3 in some other places due to not being “girly” enough.
Mom corrected me and said I wouldn’t have been stoned because I wouldn’t have been born. She’d have been stoned by age 3…
She was fortunate enough to have grown up on a working farm with my grandparents who didn’t mind if she was out helping the men vs in the kitchen with the ladies.
When we visited my grandparents I started helping out in the barn about age 5 (similar time to starting kindergarten). I was driving my parents nuts in the house, naturally got up early around 4am, and was thrilled to be given a pitchfork to scrape cowpies into a gutter when the cows waiting to be milked “missed.” All typical girl loves, no?
I’m pretty positive I inherited a lot of my mom’s genetics - dad’s too, but they were quite typical for being male.
I have told people it’s good that I had three boys (no girls), because God knew I had no idea how to raise girls. I’ve also warned my three boys not to base their perception of typical girl behavior off their mama.
Interestingly enough, one of my DIL’s parents are good friends with us. They told us when their D came to them letting them know she had found a guy she was interested in they were elated. They didn’t think she’d ever find someone the way she rejected many things (like make up). They love our son. DIL fits in extremely well in our family. 