Boys vs. Girls… One of the biggest rivalries of all time!
When we first had our son we were all about boys and how great they were. We were very biased. Even to the point where when we saw baby girls we weren’t very fond of them.
When we found out we were pregnant with our second… our enthusiasm took over us and it was still, ‘Go Boys!’ What we didn’t realize was that sweet peanut was a girl… and when we found out, we were terrified!
We are now 2 years into having a little girl and realizing there are some HUGE differences between boys and girls. We have had to learn to identify and balance those needs and wants in our home.
5 Huge Differences Between Boys and Girls:
- Girls tend to be more in tune with peoples emotions. I notice with my son that I have to use my words and tell him “you hurt mommy’s feelings by saying that” or “getting angry like that makes me very sad.” With my daughter, it is the complete opposite. If she says something and hurts my feelings, she can tell by the downward shift of my eyebrows and frown on my face that what she did was not very nice. She automatically gets into apology mode. We are trying to work with our son to become more in tune with the feelings of others around him… it just seems to be taking a little longer.
- Boys are honest. Girls are polite. In our home, we hear a lot of “Ew, that’s nasty!” or “I don’t like that!” out of our son. It doesn’t matter what is going on, if he doesn’t like it he lets us know! There isn’t a filter built into little boys. My daughter tends to be the opposite end of the spectrum. When someone asks her a question or tries to be sweet and they are obviously overwhelming… she does or says whatever they want to hear.
- Boys tend to be more aggressive than girls. Now, while this may be the norm in some houses, my kids are the complete opposite in this area. My son is the more sensitive one, while my daughter tends to be the aggressive one. She tries to do whatever it takes to get a rise out of her brother, whether it’s sitting on him, giving a body slam, or (it makes me sad to say) pulling hair. She will do it to get her brother’s attention. Girls tend to be more emotionally aggressive and attack with their words. I can just hear it now, “MOM! Sissy wont stop telling me I stink, over and over!” So, while boys tend to be more aggressive in nature physically, girls can take the cake in emotional aggression.
- Girls talk back more. While all kids have to have the last word, girls tend to be the ones to talk back more to their parents. Girls tend to become more verbal sooner than boys, which allows them to use their words to get what they want. While boys tend to take longer with their words, they find other ways to get their point across. Either way, this is why your girls wear those sassy pants everyone talks about.
- Girls tend to mimic others around them while boys use imaginary play. My son can spend hours upon hours making up stuff with imaginary play. It really is fun to watch him make up all sorts of stuff that I never could even dream of. He uses toys in ways that I never would have thought to use them. My daughter loves to mimic those around her. She copies or tries to be like people she looks up to or finds hilarious. Her grandparents, her momma. And one of my favorites as of recent, Poppy from Trolls, which makes me giggle to watch. Either way, kids love to pretend and be other people, which is always fun!
Whether you have boys or girls, or some of each, kids will be kids.
