The Girls vs. Boys debate

Ok, so I already posted today but I have to share this and check out the pictures are below this and the next post.

Every once in a while people say things to us like: "Wow, all girls. Enjoy them while you can" and "Girls are so much easier than boys" or "you've got your hands full, three girls. Boys are so much easier" but my favorite is "Girls and boys are so different; girls are so much nicer when they're young because boys are just so wild and crazy but watch out when the girls are older..." My personal response? Children are children that are people too, already their own individual person.

My brother was, by my memory anyway, a pretty descent little kid but in his teen years all hell broke loose. I was pretty docile most of growing up, I tattled a lot and cried even more, a basic cry-baby goody-to-shoes and kind of stayed that way until I left home- and all hell broke loose. My sister... I think all hell broke loose when she was born but mom and Becc may correct me on that. Children are just little people. Now I have Ophelia, a new version of myself really with a huge desire to please and takes my over-achiever tendencies to new heights and really is a very trustworthy, all around good kid. Lavinia is smart, creative, determined and almost without a conscience... That combination means mischief in a big way; she can lie without batting an eyelash. And Helena, well, it's still early to tell but she seems to be a combination of the other two plus this attribute that must come from being the baby; she knows how to "work it." Children are just little people.

And my point with all this? The debate of what's typical of girls and what's typical of boys. I happen to believe that much of what we see as gender differences are in fact taught to our children by grown ups. Things like how adults talk to baby boys and baby girls for instance. Studies show that you can take the same baby and dress it up as a boy and adults will touch it less, show it trucks, trains and airplanes, and not talk to "him" in a sweet baby voice as much. Then later, take that same child and dress it up as a girl and the same adults (must be blind to not realize it's the same baby...) will hold "her" more, touch her more, sing to her, show her baby dolls, and sweet talk her. According to some studies, this type of behavior and treatment continues on well past babyhood. And we wonder why men don't seem as nurturing... But that's not actually my point. As a society we all tend to think of the boys being the crazy ones, doing the crazy things, fighting more than girls (HA!!!!) and having more of a tendency to be mean. I don't buy it. Children are just little people.

Tonight, Ophelia, my sweet, helpful, nurturing Ophelia, told her baby sister, Helena, to get INTO the toilet. I guess children will be children.