Gender Confusion

I can't say how many times I've heard someone comment, "What a beautiful boy you have." Usually I don't want to cause a fuss and I just say thank you. Odds are I will never see this person again and what difference does it make if they haven't correctly identified the gender of my child. Sometimes, however, I end up in a situation where I keep seeing this person and they will continue under that assumption. This puts me in an awkward situation. Do I correct them now or just play along? It bothers me as a parent to have my child misidentified but not necessarily enough to correct strangers.

For example, Carrie and I were in a restaurant when the hostess commented on how lovely our boy was. My initial thought was to not say anything since we would probably only see this woman again on the way out. Due to some incredible crankiness I spent most of the meal in the lobby where the hostess continued to comment to me and others how cute my boy was. Every time the word boy came out of her mouth it grated on my nerves. Clearly, I had chosen poorly.

I think that some people assume Genevieve must be a boy due to her short hair. They look at her size and assume that she is about 12 months old but with hair that short she must be a boy. I'm not certain why the pink outfit doesn't clue them in. Sure, babies are androdgenous and when she is dressed in blue there is no obvious way to know the facts. But come on people!! If a baby is dressed in pink with little ribbons and flowers the safe bet isn't going to be 'boy.'

I, myself, have probably been culpable in similar situations but no longer. I will no longer assume the gender of someone's child. I'll either use gender neutral terms like baby or child or I'll just ask. Don't ever assume. I think the rule of thumb for children is much like the rule of thumb for women, don't ask a woman if she is pregnant unless you can see the baby coming out. Anything else and you're just asking for trouble.