[Coda]

As a girl you get away with it more easily. Boys have it harder. There are some stereotypically-girl things you can get away with as a boy, but others will draw all the wrong kinds of attention.

My son is four. He's pretty interested in boy things like cars and trains and power tools, but he also likes playing kitchen and he's a big fan of the Lego Friends collection, and I keep having to tell him "no" when he says he wants Twinkle Toes shoes. (Because they're expensive!) As his parent, I think it's great that his interests are so diverse. But I do have a fear of him having to deal with the kind of bullying I got when I was a kid. I'll stand up for him, for sure, because I WANT him to be free to choose what he likes, but that doesn't mean I'm still not going to be heartbroken if it happens.