Giving And Recieving.

I went to a birthday party today. It was for my niece who turned nine last week.  She was in NY on the actual date so she didn't get a chance to celebrate it with any of her VA peeps. 

In general, I have issues with giving and recieving gifts.  Mostly, I wish people would realize that giving gifts should not just be about getting some expensive electronic toy, or the current fad, or even impersonal gift-cards.  I know, I know, gift cards can be great but too often they are the recourse of people who simply don't want to make the effort and think about what to get someone. 

I, being the person I am, when buying gifts for my nieces and nephews have always found myself overly conscious of gender.  From my youth, I've surrounded myself with people who, if not outright defy gender concepts, at least question the assignations that contemporary culture places on sex and gender. 

My niece here in VA has always been a particular concern because she has grown up to be a girly girl.  Frankly, I blame the Disney channel because that's all she watches.  Anyhoo, I'm dreading/looking forward for the time when I can have actuall conversations with them about it. 

They are not, to say the least, being exposed to any form of alternative perspectives.  To them, boys do this and girls do that and they are often perplexed when they see/hear examples of gender-flexing individuals.  I'm not even sure how much they've been exposed to sexuality.  That is to say I'm not really sure if they now I am a "fortunate homosexual man" (sorry, couldn't help it) and/or what that even means and when/if we will ever have to discuss it.