RE: [Paddlewise] Spousal Compatibility

I guess we get what we raise. 
  When I was a kid, boys had team sports like  baseball, football, hockey, basketball; girls could watch or "cheer". Boyscouts went camping, canoing, skiing, hiking; girlscouts cut pictures out of magazines and sold cookies.
  Boys were asked "What do you want to be when you grow up"; girls either were not asked, or were asked "Would you like to be a nurse or a teacher or a secretary until you get married?"
  As toddlers, boys were applauded for running, climbing and being "all boy"; girls were encouraged to be quiet, keep clothes clean and be "polite".
  For xmas boys got bats, erector sets, sleds; girls got dolls, tea sets, stuffed animals.
  As inants, boys were (and are), bounced, jostled, spoken to animatedly; girls were (and are) held gently, spoken to quietly and soothingly. (There is an interesting study which demonstrates this very difference based on whether people were told the infant was a girl or a boy).
  Certainly there are exceptions to the above, but as a rule it is true. Things are slowly changing, but not in all areas.
  So is it suprising there are differences as adults? If we want all our kids to grow up appreciating the outdoors and pursuing their dreams, maybe we should involve all of them in those activities as children.
  Just an observation from someone from a large family who grew up in a neighborhood of mostly "traditional values", but who had parents more insightful than most (despite occasional lapses).
Regards,
Leander
leander_at_worldnet.att.net

<- Original Text ->
In a message dated 11/3/99 6:50:51 PM Pacific Standard Time, SKILLIANS writes:

<< << Or are there more "outdoorsy" men than women?  I would think this is just a blatant stereotype and I personally don't want to believe it is true.

 I do not think that even ONE of my woman friends would be remotely interested in hearing about the largemouth I caught, the great time I had ice skating across the lake, how much fun my husband and I had stacking the wood out back, etc, etc. Do other Paddlewise females find the same thing? I'm not so sure that it's a blatant stereotype.......and sometimes it gets lonely!
 Pam Stohrer
 Auburn, NH



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