Twins fall neatly (or untidily) into old gender stereotypes
There are moments in life when you stop and marvel at the wonder of child development.
It might be the first time they walk, talk, or read a simple sentence. Admittedly, I can’t remember any of those moments, but I imagine they’ll have occurred while I was working.
Maybe this is why Emma’s simple actions shone some light on a dull day.
We were walking out of the door, and I watched the boy twin trample all over the post on the floor next to the letterbox.
He doesn’t do it on purpose, but he doesn’t notice and will stamp on whatever happens to be there.
Emma witnessed his actions, casually bent over, picked up the letters and placed them on a little table by the door.
She’d completed a domestic task without prompting and my heart leapt.
“Well done, Emma, that’s brilliant,” I gushed, while clapping my hands.
She smiled, but looked a little confused at my obvious excitement, when all she’d done was pick something up.
For me, it was a glimpse into the future.
A time when they or at least Emma helps around the house and those days of telling them what to do and when to do it are behind us.
As I contemplated the twins taking over my jobs of emptying the bins or loading the dishwasher, I realised Emma was already a fully signed up member of the team.
For a start, she is my official henchman, tasked with telling her brother to brush his teeth or put trousers on.
Her brisk, no-nonsense approach to discipline is a sight to behold and she knows how to make things happen.
She also assists with clearing plates from the table and sternly prompts Thomas into action. I’ve also noticed that when she changes out of her school uniform, she picks up all her clothes from the floor and neatly places them in a pile on her bed.
Her brother prefers to leave his in a tangled mess wherever he chooses to disrobe.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a competition, even if I sound like the man who announces, “I’m no sexist but…”, before launching into a speech about how a woman should do all the cooking.
What I’m doing is acknowledging one of Emma’s strengths. Thomas also has them, but in very different fields.
For example, he can build a Lego tower from imagination, or construct a train track across the entire house.
The mystery for me is how they continue to follow gender stereotypes when they’ve both been nagged on an very equal basis to keep the house tidy.
...she is my official henchman, tasked with telling her brother to brush his teeth or put trousers on