"You are SUCH a woman!"

[Anne2345]

Last evening, my seven year old daughter, my wife, and I were out in the back yard spending quality time together, enjoying the beautiful weather, and having some family fun.

We had done much together throughout the day, and I was beginning to tire.

As the last of the sun’s light was beginning to fade, my daughter, who has a seemingly endless well of energy upon which to draw from, wanted to play one final, last game of tag.

To her disappointment, though, I declined. It was, after all, getting late, and I was tired from the activity filled events of the day. We had done much up until that point, and I simply had nothing left in the tank.

I tried to explain this to my daughter, but she wasn’t buying it.

Instead, she took the offensive.

“You are SUCH a woman!” she accused, and quite loudly at that.

“Be a MAN!” she demanded.

“Wow,” I immediately thought, as I was caught by complete surprise, “where the hell did THAT come from???!!”

You see, my daughter is only in the first grade at school. Neither my wife nor I have raised her to think, act, or perceive gender in this manner or context. And this was the very first time I had ever heard her say something like this before.

So as I stared into my child’s eyes, before the challenge she had just so boldly issued, I froze. My wife, whom I could hear laughing in the background, could tell, and she knew that I was stuck. I simply had no response. I did not know what to say. I just stood there, shocked into silence, wondering what to do.

After a few more seconds passed by, some more laughter from my wife, and before it became terribly too uncomfortable, I did the only thing I could think to do at that moment. I gave in, and played one more game of tag with my daughter before calling it a night . . . .

Bet you didn’t see that coming from a mile away, huh?

[Lorileah]

Peers can be good sources of information that defies all the good work you have done. I am sure she was just parroting something she heard. Now...YOU'RE IT!

[Jeninus]

Yes, something she's heard...not from your wife at some point?

[Michaelasfun]

My gut says it is something she picked up from friends or perhaps some media like TV and not related to you personally; I have two grown daughters and had my share of "run-ins" not related to CD or anything, but it always helped to talk after the emotions settle and ask what made them feel or say certain things to bring closure. I think if you talk it out you'll probably find it was totally random on her part. Just my .02-

[Cynthia Anne]

I'm still laughing! If your daughter only! I think you have been taged!!!!!!!! Hugs!

[rachaelsloane]

Anne,
This is just one of the many times she is going to out smart you and you have no choice but to give acquiesce.
Rachael

[Kaz]

Kids say the most amazing things and usually in the right context, although they probably don't understand the true meaning behind the words. They hear stuff in a context (usually TV these days) and when that context hits them... out it comes! I love it!

She is right though... as a man I usually give in and play the extra game... my wife would never do that... she lays down the law and then adheres to it (while always proclaiming that doesn't like to be pinned down and laws are 'guidelines', by the way)... I am a soft target! So... 'man up' - she had you down as a wuss, giving up and not playing to win! Men are supposed to compete until they drop!

It is amazing where kids get their energy though!

[Marleena]

Just more proof kids say the darnedest things! This might date me a little bit.:)

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[Barbara Ella]

They are so insightful and not at all afraid to say it out loud. Glad she got that last game of tag. And get ready for more of that as she wanders out into the real world more and more. So hard to know when it is time to have little talks.

Barbara

[elizabethamy]

You're it, Anne!

elizabethamy

[BLUE ORCHID]

Just more proof kids say the darnedest things! This might date me a little bit.:)

Ofbe158uk7k&feature

Hi Marleena, As soon as I read this thread this was my first thought Art Linkletter/kids say the darnedest things.

[YorkshireRose]

Aww that is so sweet Anne. As others have already said kids come out with some real gems. I bet the look on your face was priceless!

Charlotte

[Debglam]

Parenthood. . . It goes from making you laugh to chasing them around the house like Homer Simpson screaming "Why you little!!!!"

[Anne2345]

Aww that is so sweet Anne. As others have already said kids come out with some real gems. I bet the look on your face was priceless!

Charlotte

LOLOL!!! Yeah, the look on my face probably said it all - Who??!! Me??!! A Woman??!! Gosh NO, not ME!!! You got it all wrong, I tell you!!! Completely WRONG!!!! AANNNND you're not buying any of this, are you??!!! Alright already!!! I admit it!!! It's true!!! I'M A WOMAN!!! I'M!!! A!!!! WOMAN!!!!

D'OH!!! :facepalm:

[JenniferR771]

Ann is right. Never have intelligent children. They will be outsmarting you for the next 20 years.

[Julogden]

As someone who has raised two kids and now occasionally take care of grandkids, two boys and two girls, I think I would be a bit concerned if one of them expressed what your daughter did because it equates weakness with women. A gentle discussion of the subject would be in order, in my opinion. Hopefully, you or your wife explained to her that it wasn't an appropriate remark, not even getting into being disrespectful to you. If not, she's just learned that she can control dad by being rude to him.

Carol

[LeaP]

Bet you didn’t see that coming from a mile away, huh?

Oh, I don't know ... it sounds like something I could say myself. :D

[Chickhe]

...ya and my daughter has decided to ask me if I cut my hair yet,.,..twice a day it seems... ...probably got that from my wife.

[Jacqueline Winona]

You should have gone with the "It takes one to know one" come back. :) I love messing with my kids with lines like that, they don't take anything I say or do too seriously, more often than not that isn't a good thing, but it's all good. My youngest is always on me about shaving body hair, I keep telling her she has to tell her mom why I need to do it. :)

[Janelle_C]

Kids are just smart, it's hard to stay one step ahead of them. I think they know when they have us on the ropes.

[Frédérique]

“Be a MAN!” she demanded.

Any chance of THAT happening??? Keep up the good work, my dear… :battingeyelashes:

[Leslie Mary S]

It is hard to MAN up when you are a woman at heart. But then we CDers have had a lot of experience doing it both ways.

[bomba]

looking at your picture i say be a woman. you look so gorgess

[KellyJameson]

Wonderful story Anne and I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I to probably would have played one more game of tag.

Being accused of acting like a girl meaning "weak" by boys all through childhood and now I hear it as an adult from women "man up" "grow some balls" ect, ect, ect ... makes it difficult to not have that knee jerk reaction to falling into the trap of what others define as being a man, don't be to hard on yourself we are fighting a lifetime of conditioning and it is doubly difficult to disappoint ones own child who expects us to always be strong.

[kimdl93]

its such a common thing these days to hear advertisers, entertainers and politicians tell people to "man-up". So, my guess is you'r daughter has heard that from her friends at school or elsewhere and took advantage of the opportunity to use the expression herself.

[Jenny Doolittle]

Maybe missed a perfect time to teach her that being a woman is NOT the weaker sex.

[Foxglove]

Once upon a time, I was doing some work around a primary school. One day I overheard three pretty big girls taunting a pretty small boy, "John Joe sulks like a girl! John Joe sulks like a girl!"

It got me wondering why they would want to taunt him by demeaning themselves. I couldn't figure that one out.

[LeaP]

It's effemimania, wherein the barest whiff of anything feminine in a male is instantly detected and punished. Women are as complicit in enforcing male gender lines as men. The girls were blind to the misogynist aspect, focusing only on appropriateness.

Lea

[Stephanie47]

It could be as simple as your daughter hearing at home or at a friend's home a woman, totally worn out by child rearing, the phrase "Wait to your father gets home! You totally wore me out today!"

[Foxglove]

It's effemimania, wherein the barest whiff of anything feminine in a male is instantly detected and punished. Women are as complicit in enforcing male gender lines as men. The girls were blind to the misogynist aspect, focusing only on appropriateness.

Lea

Did you make this word up, Lea? It isn't in my dictionary.

But what you're saying is, if they saw me in a skirt, they probably wouldn't approve, right?

Annabelle