Origin: Gaelic for lass or girl, now often seen as Colleen.
Sugar & spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of. Really? What's wrong with snails & puppy dog tails for girls?
Now that we know we're having a girl, it's amazing how quickly gender roles are being assigned to her. Like, that she must be sweet, wear pink, needs a kitchen & a playhouse and will love princesses. All of that is fine, but I hope she'll be a strong, smart, independent thinker who can take down the boys in the neighborhood, if need be. And, all with good manners. And, I hope the Hub & I have enough discipline to let her be the best Hanna Marie she can be with our guidance, and not project what we think she should or should not become based on our skills, talents & preferences.
We've already started discussing activities. She will definitely be exposed to soccer & ballet. Two activities she can start early. Soccer because the Hub played, is good team activity and we like it. Ballet because I took 12+ years of dance and loved it. And, it will help her with coordination and muscle control early. If she hates them both, we'll move on to something else.
I do not want Disney to infiltrate our lives. (My mother will happy to read that, although I'm more of a fan of the Evil Empire than she is.) I don't want to be ruled by princesses. What's so great about these princesses? They're all waiting around for Prince Charming to rush in and make everything better. (although I understand the Princess & the Frog may have a different message, haven't seen it yet)
I'm hoping that Hanna Marie will kick some ass all on her own and not wait around for a boy. (Don't get me wrong, I love boys. I married one.) Some princess stuff is all well & good. But, we'll have dinosaur, science s and sports, too.
And whether this child was a boy or a girl, they were going to spend quality time in the kitchen. I loved my play kitchen & Easy Bake Oven. The Hub will get to enjoy more than his fair share of Easy Bake Oven delights. Cooking is fun and should not be gender specific.
I am now aware of just how diligent we will have to be to not allow Hanna Marie's gender to assign her specific roles. I still wonder if we'll have a female president in my lifetime, but Hanna Marie will be raised to believe that she can become anything and everything she wants & is capable of becoming. (I hope. That's our plan.)
