They really are different...

Today we washed our cars for the first time in months. Lots of months. I can't even remember how many months - though I suspect they were washed at least once last summer... But today it was warm enough out and dry enough to constitute a family afternoon in the driveway with a bucket of soapy water, a hose, and a whole lot of helping hands.

I can't remember how old Girly Pie was last time we would have had a car washing day, but I do recall her being small enough to be completely uninterested in the affair.

I was a little reluctant to do it today with her there. Though it was far warmer than usual for a January day (58 degrees and sunshine felt so very nice today!) it was still windy, and once the sun got over the hill it cooled down quickly. And I assumed she'd do what any normal 20 month old would do, or at least what all my previous toddlers did: basically bathe in the bucket of bubbly, dirty water and end up wetter and dirtier than the car itself, not to mention cold and miserable by the time all was done. After all, that's what toddlers do, right?

Apparently, it's just what toddler boys (or at least my toddler boys) do. Girly Pie managed to keep herself almost completely dry and clean. One pant leg got a little wet - but only because it was long enough to drag on the ground and soak up water that way. Otherwise, she was perfectly tidy about the entire affair. She happily swished the handled scrubber around in the bucket a bit, helped hose the car off a few times, all the while keeping her hands on the tools and out of the bubbles. I was shocked. She didn't even seem interested in the water itself, but rather in the actual job of helping us wash the car.

A whole new experience around here. ;o)

So I am sure there are plenty of messy girls out there, and plenty of neat and tidy boys in the world. I by no means am trying to say that the stereotype is the norm. But around here - apparently it is just the boys who prefer to immerse themselves in dirty car water and spray themselves in the face with the hose. And apparently I can rest at ease when the messy jobs pop up around here - Miss Girly Pie seems to be quite happy to leave the messy stuff for the rest of us. ;o)