She needs a drill, not a dress

"She needs a drill, not a dress"

Most of my cousins were boys. A lot of the neighborhood kids were boys. The toys that brought me joy, were supposedly for boys. So it came as no surprise that as I got older, I knew more about guns and Chevy’s than I did about manis and pedis. I had one doll that I really played with, and he was a boy that I named Allister. Aside from that, Barbies were a rarity and makeup was stupid. Yessiree. Mud pies, baseball, and Evel Knievel were on my “to do” list.

I know boys. I know what they do, how they play, and what they’re about. If I ever had a child, having a boy made perfect sense! However, as most things in my life, I was thrown for a loop when we saw the gender results on the ultrasound picture. One word in white letters with an arrow pointing to a blurry blob: GIRL. What was I supposed to do with a little girl? Was I really going to Scotch tape a tiny bow to her bald head so people would know she wasn’t a boy? Did I have to get her ears pierced? Was I going to have to buy her a purse and tiara? Was she going to act like those little princess or pageant bitches? Great. Just great. This is JUST what I needed.

As it turns out, she’s not as girly as my nightmares had led me to believe. In fact, she’s a lot like me! She likes some girly girl stuff like her tiny kitchen and shopping cart. She has dolls but rarely plays with them. She enjoys Dora and has a soft spot for my makeup bag. But she’s also a big fan of cars, basketball, and Handy Manny!

I do put her hair in cute pony and pigtails with bows. I do put her in the occasional dress or skirt. I do choose pink over most colors when shopping for her. But maybe that was in the stars all along! Maybe I had a girl because I needed to be reminded or even taught what it’s like to BE a girl! After all, I already know enough, if not too much, about boys. Having a boy would have been too easy! Life isn’t always meant to be easy. It’s about lessons and making your life and the lives around you better for each lesson you learn. And right now, she’s teaching me a lot about what it’s like to not be covered in engine grease.