We got some photos from my MIL today of DH's German relatives from Dh's uncle's 70th birthday party. She also included a note saying that she had received the pictures that DH sent her of the kids and that it sounds like the baby is a real "garçon manqué". I'm not a huge fan of the word "tomboy" already, but the French term grates on my nerves. It means "failed boy" or maybe "unfulfilled" or "frustrated" or "missing something".
Because even these days, girls who climb on chairs really want to be boys. She doesn't know what a penis is, but she had penis envy because she runs and plays and throws.
(Throws a bit too well, as she gave me a cut and bruise 1/2 an inch from eye yesterday by launching the cordless phone at my head.)
It might be a bit late to preach modern feminism to my mother-in-law, even though she is certainly a self-sufficient woman with certain feminist sort of ideals, though I have no idea if she considers herself a feminist.
But a physically active toddler girl is a "failed boy"? I know it's just what they say and sometimes being politically correct in language goes too far, but dang, how many generations of girls have been called failed boys because they didn't cuddle dolls and have tea parties? Or they did those things and they played sports and stuff?
Yeah, I'm ready now to reform the French language.
Anyway.
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