Many times I wasn't taken seriously. The fact that a girl had masculine qualities, such as interest in sports, independence and lack of emotion, was a shock to many boys. Even today, at twenty-four years old, people still have reservations about my abilities. One of my greatest passions is building, and I don't mean building blocks with my son, I can build, fix, put together just about anything, well most things. My son's father, who I live with and have spent years with, still laughs and has doubts when I tell him I'm rebuilding the outside stairs, or tearing out the carpet and putting in wood flooring. It's not something I take too personally. I understand that these standards created for men and women, where men are expected to be dominant, independent, aggressive and strong, and women are expected to be caring, dependent, emotional and weak, believe it or not, these expectations are constantly influenced by one or more sources. I witnessed the influence my mother had placed on my sister when she put a dress on her. I felt influenced by my peers when our common interests suddenly differed. And even today, when I take a trip to the toy store with my son, passing through the bright pink aisles full of dolls and many toys intended for girls, or leafing through the toy catalog and noticing how girls playing with dolls are depicted , and the boys are playing with the remote control car. The influence of gender roles is