I think sexism comes naturally to boys. I have one (a sexist boy), but he didn’t get that from me. I can’t really blame Bill either. I can accuse my husband of many things, but not sexism.
A few days ago, he (the sexist boy) casually remarked about women and guns not mixing. Something about how women don’t shoot them. My husband, in shock, informed him that his Nana (my husband’s mother) owned several handguns and was a better shot than he was. This boy of mine thought that it was illegal for women to shoot guns, or at least that it had been at some point in the past!
I reminded him of the female soldiers he’s seen. Asked him if didn’t he think they knew how to use a gun. The problem with logic is that it ruins one’s misperceptions!
Today I bought one of these (but I didn’t pay nearly that much!). The boys had one last year and used it a lot, but it didn’t survive the winter. My boys and two friends set out to put it together, but quickly decided the directions were too complicated. Sexist boy of mine wanted his dad to help. Bill was working on stuff for school, so I dropped all of my womanly work, you know, cooking, cleaning, and baby-tending, to see if my pretty little head could make heads or tails of the instructions. We did a few steps easily, but when I stopped to carefully read the next step, this kid sighed a heavy sigh and said, “Shouldn’t I just go get Dad?”
I was a little annoyed.
Just as we were finishing putting the net on, Bill came down to get more beer (it helps him write better) and stepped out back to see how we were doing. I informed him of his son’s comments, and my hero leaped to defend my honor by reminding the boy, “Your mother is an engineer!”
I don’t know what I’m going to do with this kid.
Reit This Way 
I have a sexist boy too. Despite the fact that in his 6 years of life, he has rarely seen Dad fix things (since that is my domain) he always suggests we get Dad when stuff breaks.???
Oy! I have one too—mine always asks, “Are you SURE you know how to do that?”Maybe its the age (5-7)???
OH Michelle!! This was funny! Funny only because I can relate…lol My 9 year old does that a bit, but his dad is a perfectionist. So sometimes he will come to me only when he is annoyed that dad takes so long. My husband needs beer to accomplish any weekend tasks…lol
I think each time he makes a sexist remark, he has to put on an apron and cook dinner.I’m not sure what that could teach him, but YOU’d at least gain some extra time and a meal. 🙂
Well, I know Peter won’t eat !PINK! M & M’s. But who was it? I’m dying of curiosity – I suspect Billy, based on the ages of your other responders’ children.Our next get-together could be very interesting! And, no, he doesn’t get to see the real guns until he is much older!Nana
LOL lol lol! You go girl! My husband does all kinds of things better with beer too. Preferably German brew. Mwah,KM
If I were going to base my judgment on my own four (3 boys, 1 girl) I would say that boys seem more inclined to assign gender roles than girls. Because I am a doctor, at some point when they were in the 4-7 yr old age group each of my boys was asked by a random person if he was going to be a doctor. Each of them looked horrified and said, “No! That’s what girls do!” On the other hand, when my youngest had his first trip to the dentist he was asked what does your daddy do? “He flies jets!” (Daddy’s a fighter/test pilot) What does your mommy do? “She does the dishes!”My daughter never assigned jobs as boy jobs or girl jobs.I will say that now that the older boys are virtually grown, there doesn’t seem to be a shred of sexism. When my second son played soccer for the college intramural team and received compliments on his soccer skills he proudly gave credit to his little sister for giving him some pointers. As they say, playing soccer like a girl doesn’t mean what it used to.
[insert sarcastic sexist comment here just to cause trouble] I’m out of mom’s target range now, but won’t be forever. 🙂
There's no point in looking any further than your article for more information on this subject. You did a pretty good job in writing it.