Little girls do something to people

I'm not sure what it is about little girls, but they seem to do something to people.  I've been contrasting the reaction to my daughter against the way people talk about and react to my nephew, and it's a striking contrast.  People dote on my daughter.  They coo over her, they delight in being rewarded with smiles from her.  They nuzzle her and hold her, and marvel at how adorable she is.  I'm not saying this to reflect any sort of conceit, or to imply that my daughter is any better than any other kid out there, but it's something I've noticed.  People seem to adore her.

My nephew, on the other hand, seems to get less cooing.  Less adoration.  I'm not sure why.  He's cute enough, but people just don't seem to have the same habit of melting over him the way they do with my daughter.  I can only conclude that this is because my daughter is a girl, and there is just something about little girls.  They seem to enchant people.  They invite this sense of awe and love that I don't often see people showering over little boys.

It makes me wonder if I'd have been as enchanted if my daughter had been a boy instead.  It makes me wonder if my husband would have fallen so instantly in love with her if she had been a boy.  It just seems as if little girls snatch up your heart and run away with it the second you lay eyes on them. I've never had a little boy, and I'm sure you love them as much as any of your children, but I wonder if it's a different kind of love.  I just think it's an interesting contrast.