DADDY'S GIRL: Materinal instincts kick in early on

By Paul Lane<br><a href="mailto:lanep@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Paul</a>

September 10, 2008 11:48 am

— When Penny isn’t asking for juice, playing on the swing, protesting her hair being brushed or busy with the other daily minutiae of a typical 1-year-old, she quite a good mommy.
She tends to her “babies” on a regular basis, talking to the dolls, sitting them on her princess couch (or laying them down when it’s folded out) and feeding them — sometimes ignoring us for an hour or so in the process. She knows to give the bottle to the doll with the hole for a mouth, and she loves feeding the fake ice cream cone to the doll that has a movable tongue to replicate licking.
The babies are also not lacking for TLC. Penny routinely greets them with a “Hi baby” followed by a hug and kiss; she often makes her mother and I follow suit. At least one of them generally has to accompany us whenever Penny moves about the house, as well.
Seeing the attention she lavishes upon her dolls makes me ponder a couple things.
First, it appears she’s going to be a great big sister. This space has previously featured how Penny pats Mommy on the tummy and says hi down her throat to wish Little Lane No. 2 well, and this is a pattern that continues. How well she treats her babies only makes me think that much more that Penny will take care of her sibling-to-be from day one.
That’s not to say that we’ll lack for sibling rivalry; even as well as I got along with my big sister and little brother, I still spent my fair share of afternoons dodging knuckles or locked in the closet. But Penny seems to have a very developed sense of empathy — she can’t go for her bath in the morning until she gives the dog a hug and kiss — and I can’t wait to see her interact with her younger sibling.
This brings us to the second point: Would this same caring, nurturing nature be as evident if we’d had a boy first? I remember little from my childhood aside from my beloved Masters of the Universe action figures, but I don’t recall even as I approached double-digits in age having the sense of others’ well-being that Penny has now.
So is it because Penny’s female that she displays such parental instincts so early, or did she pick those nurturing traits up from the many family members who have lavished her with attention? I can’t say concretely, but I’d wager that it’s a combination of the two.
Everyone who sees Penny — including those of you readers who greet us around town — showers her with praise, so I’m sure she’s unconsciously picked on the notion to pay it forward. At the same time, Mommy and I both strongly encourage her when she tends to her babies, and you know what they say about positive reinforcement.
But then that gets me thinking about something else. I know my wife wouldn’t, but would I treat a son any differently? Would I encourage a son to take care of babies and share the love in a similar fashion, or would I subconsciously push him toward more “manly” pursuits? Should we have a boy the second time around, I hope not, because the world could use more thoughtful people like my daughter.
Not that we need to direct Penny much on this, but we’ll continue to encourage her others-first attitude as much as possible. There can’t be enough love in the world, after all, even if it directed toward the inanimate portion of the planet’s population.
Contact editor Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116,or lanep@gnnewspaper.com.

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