Are they worried about cooties?

[amblypygid]

Why do people assume that children only play with members of the same sex? I just ran into someone who was apologizing to a neighbor because "We only have girls," and they couldn't set up a playdate with a boy who was close in age. The kids are five years old!

Comments

[laffingbuddha]

Dumb parents locked into regimented social gender rules?

[vanaabegra]

That seems pretty messed up to me. I don't recall those rules being imposed, especially at that age. I think when I was 5 it was sort of imposed by interest - if you didn't want to climb the dirt hills, ride bikes, or play with Tonka trucks, then you didn't play with us, since that is what we wanted to do. I ended up spending more time with girls a little later (and after moving), because they were much closer in age than the boys in my neighborhood. And to be honest, most of the boys in the neighborhood at that time were complete jerkwad hooligans.

[vanaabegra]

Cooties!

[amblypygid]

Ha! I'll just tell them there's a vaccine.