I liked playing with building stuff too, like Lincoln Logs or Legos. I also liked being part of a group building forts out of things like evergreen branches and mud in the woods. And I enjoyed the co-ed kickball and other similar games that seemed to spring up regularly when we were kids.
I didn’t hate dolls or tea sets, but they didn’t really hold my interest. And I didn’t really like playing house either. Or school. (The bossiest person was always the teacher. LOL)
I did like doing some “girl” things like jump rope and hopscotch. :)
About my only girl thing is sewing. I LOVE to work with fabric.
Otherwise, I’m out in the garden or working around the property with my electric chainsaw, helping clear out dead wood in the woods or getting in some range time. I also like wood refinishing projects. It’s very satisfying to take a beat up piece of furniture and make it look new again.
Now that I think about it, outside my few neighbors - most of whom were girls and I was friendly with - most of my “bestest” cousins (we used to have LOTS of family gatherings in the Baltimore area, so my cousins were integral to my childhood) were boys. Those around my age immediately were mostly boys (my favorite is a girl, and she was a little older), so any family party was us running around playing guns games and huge hide-and-seek in the dark. I was not popular in regular society/school, not at all, but my cousins made me feel wanted and accepted. That part of childhood I absolutely treasure.
I liked almost everything until I either mastered it or was satisfied I had learned enough; gender stereotypes were irrelevant.
Playing with dollhouses turned into building them. That became a hobby building furniture from scratch.
Playing board games lead me to chess, which I taught to my children. My son would go on to win championships.
Gymnastics in the front yard led to cutting and manicuring the lawn (wanted a lush carpet of grass when I did back handsprings and aerials in my bare feet). From that, I learned about gardening.
Similar learning evolutions occurred throughout my life.
Enjoyed Legos, bike riding, kick ball, soccer, track and field, dance, theater, art, and creative writing.
Fought like a boy (no lame ass hair pulling or slapping), reasoned like a boy (most girls were irrational and illogical), loved hard sciences, math, and engineering (typically one of the few girls in the room).
Not really a tomboy, but a highly competitive, late-blooming geek.
My parents allowed us to explore and learn almost anything we wanted. Knowledge was power. I wanted to be powerful and self-sufficient. They never said I couldn’t do something because I was a girl.