Girls vs. Boys.

I was, and still am, of the mindset that both boys and girls are difficult to raise. They each have their own challenges. Add in personality and each individual child is full of surprises. I, as you know, only have a girl, but ever since we knew the gender, people would be like "oooh, a girl, you'll have your hands full" and this was usually from parents of boys. I'll admit it. It kind of offended me because I don't think girls are much more difficult. Maybe it's because I was a girl so I feel that should give me some kind of advantage.

This article is pretty interesting, and I've read similar articles every so often. I think, in part, boys and girls are wired differently, but I do agree and never really thought about that the fact that we, as a culture and as parents, treat them differently whether we mean to or not. I was about to say earlier that boys are more rough and tumble which may be true in general, but Little Miss runs, throws, kicks and falls just as much as the next kid which goes to prove that we go into gender with a mindset. I will say that I feel like girls are slightly easier in terms of opportunity. You can give a girl a doll, a tool set or a ball. She can dance, play soccer, or draw. However, if you have a boy that dances and carries his doll around, people look at him a little sideways when it could just be a phase.

I actually think personality has to do with more than gender. Little Miss is totally stubborn and, being an only child, is used to having the world revolve around her and getting her way. So, when she hears no or we remind her that the world does not revolve around her, anything can happen. That's normal though. On the other hand, she can be a people pleaser, too. She loves positive feedback. She gets such a smile when she hears she's a good girl.

So, parents of both genders, what do you find easier or do you think it just comes down to your child's personalities?