Courtesy of Kristin Nador on WANA Commons

So I’m browsing through the kid’s section at Chapters today, and I see a man, mid-thirties, staring at the shelves with the kind of panic I well remember from my former life as a bookmonger. Naturally, I eavesdropped:

Salesperson: Can I help you find anything?

Customer: I need Christmas gifts for my friend’s kids.

Salesperson: Boys or girls?

Customer: Two boys and a girl.

So far, so good, right?  But the plot, as they say, is about to thicken…

Salesperson: How old are they?

A woman, when faced with this critical question, would immediately respond “almost eight” or “in fifth grade.”  Even if they weren’t her kids.

Customer: Well, I think the girl must be about six, because I’m pretty sure they had her about a year before I bought my truck.

I think the hypothesis that men and women approach the world differently can now be upgraded to a theory!

What evidence have you seen that supports this theory? And how is your holiday shopping going – are you finished early, or starting in a panic? If you’ve got a young book-lover on your list, check out the awesome Fox Talk giveaway happening over at Mother Daughter & Son Book Reviews.