I Didn't Think it would be THIS soon . . .

Our road trip behind us, we had a wonderful day and a half in Richmond with our friends Brad and Amy, who are getting ready with their children to move to our city in Asia. They are ready to go and will arrive in a matter of days! Since we're not there right now, it was wonderful that it worked out to see them on this side of the ocean and spend some time with their sweet family. They have three children, Savannah who is 4 (almost 5) and Alex and Peter who are twin 2-year olds. Needless to say, Clara Anne immediately felt at home and started copying Savannah's every move while simultaneously watching the boys (with all their energy) run circles around us.

This is really Clara Anne's first exposure to little boys. Most of her little friends (Emma, Samantha, Pingping, Dingding, Elizabeth and Anna, etc) are all girls. Even the cousins that she's met so far (Marin and Annika) are little girls! Even at our meetings, it seems like most of the children in her class were girls. So until the other day, we had not really talked to Clara Anne about the difference between girls and boys.

But then . . . one of the twins needed to "tinkle." He made his way to the bathroom and unbeknownst to me, Clara Anne followed him in. He didn't seem to care at all and so Clara Anne stood watching with great interest as he stood to use the toilet. It was at this point that I found her and insisted that she give him some privacy, but it was too late! She immediately wanted to go to the bathroom herself, and pulled down her pants and stood in front of the toilet saying, "Do it THIS way! Do it THIS way!" I told her that it wouldn't work because she is a girl, not a boy. I finally got her on the potty, though she protested the whole time.

So then John and I told her that she is a girl, and Mama is a girl, and Chloe is a girl, but Daddy is a boy, and Peter is a boy, and Alex is a boy. Daddies are boys and Mamas are girls. Hopefully this simple concept is sinking in!

Well, though I didn't expect to have to address this topic so soon with Clara Anne, it's probably a good thing! I know that Peter and Alex will become her good friends, so it's probably best to have the ground rules established--like giving them some privacy in the bathroom!