Boys-N-Girls

"Oh, Mommy, that was such a wonderful girl date! Thank you so much for taking me!" My Kylee exclaimed as we drove home after running some errands. "Sure, sweetie! I enjoyed my time with you as well," I said aloud, though I was quite baffled by her response since we had done nothing truly fun. Our family makes a big deal about one-on-one dates with each of the parents, but this had been a normal errand running excursion and my little girl had simply asked to join me. As usual, during the entire outing she was chatting away about life, about school, about friends. A simple question will lead her into lengthy explanations and stories. I simply nod and smile as I push the cart down the aisles, filling it with the needed items. Somehow, my daughter thought this time of talking while doing the ordinary was something special.

However, contrast this to my "date" last week with my boys. We went bowling while Ky was in school and we hollered away, cheering each other on and giving high fives. Then we stopped at the nearby Starbucks and they sipped on cocoa and ate a pastry while I finished up my coffee. They said thank you, but then spent most of our time looking out the window at the passing train. I would try to ask questions to get inside their little minds, but their answers would be short and simple and their eyes would not leave the sights outside. Different, but typical boy I supposed.

I didn't think much about these different experiences until Sunday, when our Sunday school class was concluding our Love and Respect series by Emerson Eggerich. He talks about the female need for face to face communication and the desire to talk and express our hearts to one another while the male need is for shoulder to shoulder companionship, where you experience life together but without the need for expressions of the heart. Neither being better than the other, just different by God's perfect design. As he continued to talk about the differences of men and women I could so easily visualize such divinely appointed desires reflected in my children.

When Emerson spoke of the need for the man to be the strong protector who could "bring out Atlas whenever he wanted," I remembered my Kaden puffing out his chest while clad in his race car underwear and bragging to Kylee, "Look at me, look at me!" Her response? Apparently quite characteristic of the female, who is not visually oriented as is the man, "Oh Kaden, stop that! I don't like to see that!" Colson also demonstrates this same behavior while roaring with his fists over his head and talking about how big and tall he is. It is innate. He is a little boy with the God-given desire to be a strong, protective man.

On the other hand, my little girl has the desire to be beautiful and to be desired, as God has intentionally placed within her. This perfectly parallels the visually stimulated man who will someday want to find a beautiful woman whom he desires to love and protect. Yes, my sweet Kylee loves to dress up and to be found beautiful in her Daddy's eyes. She loves to twirl in front of him and to be swept up into his arms and danced around the house. She also always inquires about just how much he loves her, every day, several times a day. Someday, her desire to be loved and adored will transfer from her Daddy to another man, if Jim ever allows it, that is!!

As we study the differences in men and women as well as the differences in their needs, it just amazes me that God created us so that together we would more accurately reflect Him. And to look at my little ones and to already see these God-given traits and attributes in action is incredible. They are created in His image!!

"In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... and God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:27, 31