My wife and I were discussing whether children bond more with the parent of the opposite sex. Gayle Peterson Gayle Peterson, MSSW, PhD is a family therapist specializing in prenatal and family development. Children bond equally with both sexes, assuming both parents are emotionally available to them. By two to three years of age, children become identified with their own sex.
Toilet training increases body awareness, and the differences become obvious.
And little girls can become interested in Mom's high heels and jewelry while boys may want to wear firemen's hats or tool belts. But this does not mean that they are more bonded to the same-sex parent. They may be clearly identifying with what they see as the differences between women and men in the family. And they may be enacting their discovery that they are more like the same-sex parent and may express a preference for more time associating with that parent. By three to five years of age, children often become quite focused on the opposite-sex parent.