Sugar and Spice - With a dash of Snips, snails and puppy dog tails.

 Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of, or so the poem goes. But, give me a girl with a bit of snips, and snails and puppy dog tails, and I'll show you a much more interesting girl.

 In fact, the entire double standard of this silly old poem bugs me. Somehow it implies that boys are adventurous and a bit impish, while girls remain prim and proper and pretty.  Quite frankly, it's silly.

 I do admit that there seem to be differences in the way boys and girls evolve, often in spite of environmental factors. However, teaching and treating our children a certain way based on their gender is outdated and silly.

 We should allow our children to express themselves in a respectful manner, and nurture their interests and passions. They should be encouraged to live their own dreams, not ours. Hopefully, it's a lesson we've all learned by now.

 Sugar and spice is everything nice, especially with a dash of snips, snails and puppy dog tails. 

These recent photo of my darling granddaughter Skyler sums it up nicely.

( Although, here's an update, several days after this photo was taken, Skyler's 2 1/2 year old brother surprised his mom by announcing ,
" Mommy, I just ate a snail and a worm. I chewed it and swallowed and it was kind of gross." And so it goes.) 

As an EcoBroker and Realtor®, I have shown homes to couples when the  man is more interested in the kitchen than the woman. But,  I admit,  there does appear to be stereotypical differences in the sexes when it comes to home feature preferences.