So I went to my mums for dinner tonight, it being Mother's Day and all. It was myself, mum, her boyfriend, my sister, her boyfriend and my 2yo nephew. We were sitting around the lounge room drinking coffee, and somehow they got onto the topic of teaching Hunter (my nephew) the difference between a boy and a girl, based on general appearance. All this time, I'm sitting there thinking "he's 2, he doesn't give a damn, and that's the way it should be" (I'm an equalist). But then the funniest thing happened, my sister has started going around, asking him what each person is, a boy or a girl. He called his dad a girl then a boy, himself a boy then a girl then a boy again, and flat out said that I was a girl, much to everyone's amusement. I'm annoyed though, because I feel parents should allow children to experiment and grow, to experience life before making decisions that will have a major affect on their future. I also feel that all people should treat everyone the same, that it should start from birth, and that segregating people, even by something as broad as gender, hinders that lesson. I wish I had of said something, but as I've said elsewhere, I live in a town full of stereotypical Aussie Rednecks, and my family may not be fully on the bandwagon, but they are definitely sitting on the tail of it.

Just thought I might share.