The Importance of Being Aiden

OK, this happened a while ago, but I am only just now getting round to writing it out.

Maia was invited to a birthday party. An Incredibles invite came home with her from Collegiate Montessori, stating that Aiden would be 3 and could Maia come to the party being held on the blah blah blah. So, what do you buy for a 3 year old boy? Something with a superhero on it, of course. Girls get princesses, boys get superheroes. (At least they do if you buy toys at the end of the weekly shop with a toddler set to maximum frazzle. Arguments about childhood gender stereotyping are for seminars, not supermarkets.)

So, armed with a Spiderman lunchbox and drinking flask for Aiden, off we went.

Now, I haven't really met any of the kids or parents from Maia's school yet - there are a couple that I have a sort of 'smileandsayHi' thing going on with as we pass in the car park, but I don't know anyone. So, I don't mind admitting, I was kind of nervous.

We turned up at the house to find two girls, one a bit older than the other, both in fairy costumes. No boys. A little boy appeared after a beat or two. I said 'Is it your birthday today?' and he said 'No'.

Ah. OK. Well, I reasoned, Aiden must be in the other room.

Other guests arrived, and started to fuss over the smaller of the two fairies. Bugger. Aiden (not Aidenne, or Ayden, or Aydenne) was a GIRL. A girl in a fairy outfit.

I decided I would have to own up to the mother about the mis-gendered birthday gift.

'Oh, I knew this would happen!' She said. 'Don't worry! She loves Spiderman, and cars and trains and stuff. Same thing happened with her sister, Charlie.'

Well, I had to ask myself...which came first? The more masculine taste in toys, or THE BOY'S NAME???

Lesson learnt: Unisex presents from here on in. Buy up shares in Crayola, as every kid that has a birthday is getting crayons from us.