Nature vs. Nurture

On Saturday we went to Sadie's 3rd birthday party. Hollis and Sadie have been in a playgroup together for a long time. The group is usually a pretty good mix of boys and girls. They have all always played well together and with many of the same toys. The differences between the boys and girls, however, started to become apparent at the birthday party. The children were all playing with balloons, throwing them, hitting them, running and screaming. At some point, a group of about 4 girls started playing a game in which they all sat on the floor in a circle and rolled the balloon back and forth. At about the same time, a group of about 4 boys decided the best thing to do with the balloons was to bang them together. The differences in their choice of play was stark, and funny. Of course, Hollis was right in the thick of the action. Anyone who believes that gender differences are wholly the product of their environment, wasn't in that room on Saturday.