Girls will be girls

It has come to my attention that we might have a girly-girl on our hands.  Case in point:

Note how Emma has these little plastic rings around her wrists.  These rings are from a tic-tac-toe toy my MIL gave her on her first birthday.  From the minute we unwrapped the present, she grapped up those rings and put them on her wrists.  How did she know to do this?  I don't usually wear many bracelets other than my watch.  Where did she learn that you can put things on your wrists?

Here's another example, our neighbor gave us her daughter's old dollhouse with a few dolls and accessories, one of which is this little chest of drawers that has a brush attached to it by a string.  Do you know she drags that chest of drawers around everywhere so she can use the brush to brush the doll's hair?  Now I know she's been fascinated with Mommy & Daddy brushing their hair.  She's even snagged our brushes a few times and insisted we pick her up so she can brush our hair (Which by the way, is not a fun game.  She leaves you feeling like your scalp was peeled.)

So maybe some of these gender specific traits just come naturally.  For me, growing up on a farm and with two older brothers, I didn't have the "girliest" of homes.  Not to mention my mom wasn't big on make-up, fancy jewelry, or any of those other feminine things girls learn from their mothers.  In fact, my mom purposely kept my hair short as a kid, mainly because I had curly hair that was prone to tangling, but also because my mom (and I quote) "didn't know how to fix it".  Which also lead to many awkward situations where folks would mistaken me for a boy.  It didn't help that I'm basically the spitting image of my brothers and my dad, but still...  It's only later in life that I realize this upbringing might have helped me be more independent, less materialistic, etc, etc.

So as silly as it may sound, I remember finding out we were having a little girl and being somewhat intimidated, because I didn't really know how girls are "supposed" to be raised.  But maybe some of that stuff is just engrained in us?  As tomboy-ish as I was raised, I still remember playing with Barbie dolls.  Obsessed is more like it, I'm pretty sure I was in middle school before I gave them up.

So if I do have a girly-girl on my hands, as uncomfortable as it makes me, should I support her?  One things for sure, I'm not spending gobs of money on fancy outfits, jewelry, whatev.  I'm afraid plastic rings from a tic-tac-toe toy will have to suffice for bracelets my dear (atleast at this age).  Or is this the turning point?  When many parents decide to indulge in their child and we end up with spoiled kids that never learned the value of working for/earning their living.  Let's not open that can of worms...

Well here's to finding a happy medium of making my child feel that her wants, interests, personality traits, what have you... are supported by her parents, but not to the extent of having everything her heart desires.  Sorry cupcake, but that's just life...