Last week, an old friend left a comment on my Facebook saying how cute my “little boy” is. I looked at my profile picture–which is one of me and Aeyen. She was wearing a spotty bright pink jumper and she has a clip on her hair. How he missed it, I will never know. I laughed and shook my head. I actually get it all the time. Perhaps because I don’t exactly put her in very girly clothes or because I take a lot of photos of her naked–making her look more androgynous.

I am not a very girly-girl myself. I enjoy dressing up more now, but when I was younger, I looked more like a tomboy. I’m not very big on flowers, on jewellery, or on make-up. I used to be crazy about bags and shoes but not so much now. My husband teases me and says I am very difficult to buy presents for. I’d be happier getting useful stuff than pretty ones.

I think I am rubbing off my ungirliness on my little girl. She very rarely wears pink. Her dresses are more funky than pretty. She prefers playing with her toy rabbit and toy mouse than dollies. She prefers picking stones instead of flowers. The only princess she knows of is Fiona from Shrek. I don’t even think I’ve used the word “princess” at home or on her. She loves Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, but hasn’t heard about the tales of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella or Snow White. We read a lot of Dr. Seuss and not a lot of Happily Ever Afters. I have nothing against fairy tales and princesses, I’m probably just a bit uninterested. Or too cynical, perhaps?

Nevertheless, she makes me very proud. I will sound very biased, obviously, but I think I am raising a very clever little girl. She’s starting to develop her independence and is becoming such an outspoken little madam. She’s now learned how to say, “Aeyen no like it.” and “Aeyen do it.” She is becoming more aware of people around her and enjoys seeing boys! We live near a school and in the morning, when children pass by our front window, she points to them and says, “Ooooh, look! Boys! More boys!” and it makes me laugh.

She is a girl, after all. In her very own adorable way.

{Taken at the bluebell woods last month. One of those rare times when she let me put a skirt on her!}