Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Identifying the sexes as a developmental milestone

I read yesterday that identifying the sexes happens at like 30 months old. Is that right? DD has been correctly announcing genders of people since she was 20 months old (maybe younger).

I don't remember when DD5 started but I do know she knew the difference when her sister was born, their 19 months apart. We had many talks about the babies name, she was insisting that her little sister be called "Max" and she didn't care that she wasn't a boy, her name was going to be Max. She continued to call her sister Max until Max started calling her DaDu, that went on until Max was 18 months old and DaDu said "my names not DaDu stop calling me that"! Max reponded, "well, my names not Max" They called each other their correct names from that point on.

I had the opposite issue: last year DS4 detested girls and anything girl-related. A song would come on the radio with a female lead singer, and he'd ask me to turn it off. He'd never play with a girl. If he felt a toy was for girls, he'd reject it out of hand. The whole world for him was divided into girl/bad and boy/good.

Needless to say, this did not play well with his feminist mom! Even "Free to Be You and Me" didn't seem to help matters.

Happily, he seems to have FINALLY outgrown this annoying phase! One of his good buddies is a very bright (HG+?) girl in his pre-K class, and he no longer seems to feel that some things are just for girls and some are just for boys.

Thank goodness! Ugh!

Mr W (11m0w) noticed differences between me and DW about two weeks ago when we were all in bed one morning. At that time he compared our chests.

Today when we took a shower, he looked down there and then compared himself to us. He looked back and forth at us several times then looked at himself. You could really see the wheels turning. I think he knows there are differences and that he is the same as his dad, but I am not sure he has generalized to the entire population.

DD2 is obsessed with whether someone is a girl or boy and whether they have a penis. It's game to her - is K a boy? Does he have a penis? Luckily she keep the conversations private so far.

Love the topic!

I can't remember when DD started understanding the differences (Before she was 16 mths) but I do equate this is 2 things:

1. her use of pronouns has been perfect from the start. (Before 9 mths old)
2. my willingness to talk about body parts even those that are different. The general pop. tends to find this a taboo topic and stays clear of the conversation when might be why the recognition of the opposite sex is at 30 mths) From an early age she would run around poking her chest out proclaiming that she had 'boobies' and question where her daddy's were. Questions lead to realization that things are different.

Hehehe, this isn't quite the same, but GS9 said the prettiest girl in 4th kept looking at him at their concert. Then she kept looking at him during lunch a few days later, he could see her out of the corner of his eyes. So he turned and smiled right at her. She looked around, then blew him a kiss! hahaha, they definitely know the difference by nine!

Toddler and preschool boys are always stealing kisses from my DD.

Last month I was showing her dance videos on youtube. I pulled up Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk in concert (Berlin, post BAD, I believe) and she said, "Woman. Woman. He's a woman Mama." I give her extra points for that one. (P.S. I fantasized about marrying MJ back in his Off The Wall days.)

I love your DD! I think I would have been on the floor with that comment.

PS. you are a brave one to admit your fantasy.