Daughters

I grew up in rural Wisconsin, the oldest of three children. We lived approximately 20 miles north of Madison, which was considered “the middle of nowhere” by many of my classmates. We were surrounded by fields and more fields. I thought nothing of it back then, but I realize today that we actually owned a very large parcel of land. 80 acres. Now that I am a parent, I can see that I was extremely lucky to have grown up there.

Because it was so rural and spread out, we really didn’t have many friends or neighbors to play with. My younger brothers and I we were forced to either play with each other… or play alone. If I had it my way, we would play School, and I was always the teacher. But other than that we did “boy” things most of the time.

Our typical forms of play included: climbing the Scotch pines, fishing for bullheads in the pond, trading baseball cards, and having farm machinery “auctions” in the yard. In the winter, we liked to “skate” (wearing Moon boots) or play hockey once the pond froze over. I was a tomboy and I was just fine with that title.

When I was younger and thought about having children, I had always hoped I’d end up with a son. Since growing up with brothers was all I had ever known, I figured I’d be most comfortable raising a boy. I was already equipped with the right skills. I knew how to climb trees, build a fort, and launch a rocket. I knew the difference between a combine, a cornpicker, a manure spreader, and a grain elevator. I knew how to throw, catch and hit a baseball. (I can still remember stepping up to bat, and hearing the infielders shout to the outfielders,”Back up! She can hit!”) I could throw a spiral, and I knew the rules of football, baseball, AND basketball.

Side Note: During my high school years, I was an avid Wisconsin Badgers basketball fan. In fact, I still have all of the ticket stubs from the games I attended with my dad. Watching those games in the old Fieldhouse and hearing the UW Band was always such a thrill! Sometimes we would stop for pizza after the game, the Badger Special from Pizza Hut.

 

The thought of having a daughter was a bit daunting.  What on earth would I do with a daughter? Play with dolls? Play “dress-up” with costumes and fancy gowns? Experiment with hair and makeup? 

As a child, I couldn’t have been caught dead wearing a dress! I can still vividly recall several occasions where I was forced to wear a dress... and there was often crying involved.

Costumes? Gowns? Nah. The only dressing up I ever did was at Halloween, and I never really put much thought into it. Some of the more memorable costumes I wore were Robinhood (made by my mother) and the traditional witch. 

 

Dolls? Not really. I can only recall owning two dolls during my entire childhood. The first was a Raggedy Ann doll, which I only remember because there is a photo somewhere of me holding it. My second doll was the typical rubber/plastic doll with long blond hair and a few outfits. Her name was Mandy, and that’s about all I remember of her. (And yes, it is a bit ironic that I ended up naming my firstborn Amanda… That was not planned.) Hair and makeup? Take one look at my middle school or high school yearbooks, and you will see I had definitely never practiced those skills!

Well, as luck would have it, I ended up with not one... but TWO girls!

Amanda and Eva

At only 16 months old, it’s still pretty early to tell where Eva’s personality will end up. But so far it looks like she could be leaning toward the tomboy side. Don't let those adorable pigtails and the innocent look fool you.

 

Eva is a little daredevil, and she gets pleasure from doing risky and/or dangerous things. I have several pictures of her standing on chairs, sitting on tables, etc. She is unbelievably coordinated, and I am betting she will be good at sports.

She is brave, and can fend for herself pretty well. This afternoon she toppled off the steps and landed face down in the grass. Most children probably would have cried, but she didn’t whimper or make a peep whatsoever. Instead, she crawled back up the steps, sat down and continued eating her animal crackers, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She has always been like this.

She loves to play in dirt, sand, gravel, mud.. basically anything that will stain her clothes, and has eaten more than her fair share of them all. Well, maybe not gravel.

She screams when I comb her hair or try to put it in pigtails or barrettes. If I dress her in tights, I will inevitably find her grunting and tugging on the feet, frantically trying to pull them off. (I can't blame here there.)

Her favorite form of play is rough-housing with Daddy (aka "playing lions.”) And when faced with toy options, she usually gravitates toward the cars and trains.. or anything with wheels.

Amanda, on the other hand, would wear a "fancy dress" every day of the week if she could. Tights? Great! Hiking in glittery sandals? Not a problem!

The other day, I found her sitting on her bedroom floor pulling up her ankle socks as high as they would go to create a “knee socks” look.  Her favorite color is pink and one of her favorite books is “Pinkalicous.” (Do you see the resemblance here?)

Amanda with her cousin

Her all-time favorite activity is playing “dress-up.” She knows the difference between a dress and a gown; a crown and tiara, and can walk in heels better than I can.

She also enjoys playing “beauty salon” and will sit contentedly on my lap for a ‘manicure or pedicure’ - just as long as I sing while clipping her nails. She knows all of the Disney princesses by heart, despite the fact that she has only seen one of the movies: “Cinderella.”

Playing "Dress-up" with the Wisconsin cousins

And if you ask her what she would like to be when she grows up, she will proudly tell you,”A Princess! I’m into princesses, you know.” She may have adulthood confused with Halloween, but who am I to shatter her dreams of becoming royalty? She's only three... She’s got plenty of time to figure it out.

But now that I have two daughters, I cannot imagine what I ever would have done with a son! I love my daughters, and wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. I am enjoying seeing their unique personalities emerge, and I look forward to many more years of “all things girly”... as long as they're mixed with a smattering of “boy things” – just for good measure.

Actually, they witnessed their first model rocket launch while we were in Wisconsin, thanks to Uncle Josh and Uncle Jared. (And yes, that is Amanda wearing a Cinderella gown for the launch.)

The uncles: Post-launch

Once upon a time, raising girls seemed like a daunting task… but I'm learning as I go along.