7/28/2014 0 Comments Bys Vs Girls There's a great debate that's been going on for centuries, and still baffles the most intelligent of minds to this very day. The argument of which gender child is easier to raise. People argue considerably over the topic, usually slinging mud and slime in all directions. Pro-girl-sided people will say that girls "are more compliant" and need "less hands on time" or are "more advanced for a younger age". While those on the male-dominance side rebuttal with "girls are drama queens and emotionally unstable" and "boys are more fun" and the classic "boys are much easier when they get older, girls just have periods and mood swings". I've heard them all. And I have both, girls and a boy. And while I haven't made it past the grand-old-age of five, I have my own personal opinions on the matter. But instead of jumping the gun, or onto the band-wagon of people on opposition of a side, let's just look at what I've learned so far. Girls, in my opinion, are easier to change when brand new. Yeah, some of you would disagree. But Wesley, my now 23 month old son, had a severe diaper rash with open, bleeding, blistered sores from about day 4 o his life until about 2 months old. We had prescription creams, we powdered his bum, we changed his milk, switched to cloth diaper inserts, used water instead of wipes...you name it, we tried it, but the kids still had gaping wounds in his pants. Not to mention he was circumcised at 10 days old. So on top of the "watch-out-boys-pee" bit, you couldn't wipe him anywhere on his "downtown" space without sending him into torturous cries. Once he finally healed, there was poop everywhere. I mean it. And not to be graphic, but let's just be honest: poop gets conveniently trapped in the crevices of scrotum. Plain and simple. One Point for the girls. Wesley has a sense of humor. From day one, the kid was telling jokes. Ok maybe day 148, but still...he is hilarious. He will growl at you when he's angry. He will laugh at you if you trip without getting seriously hurt. He applauds his own achievements, tackles his sisters, and even makes the most ridiculously funny faces I've ever seen. The girls, while they can be funny, spend most of the day whining about trivial things such as, "Wesley tackled me for fun". Which simply adds to the hilarity of Wes and his actions. Point for boys. The girls are tidy. Neat. Organized. Sometimes to a fault. McKenna (nearly 5) spends most of her "free time" organizing toys in cubbies, making her bed, folding laundry I've slacked on, or sweeping tile floors with a broom. She potty-trained in less than a week because she didn't want to "get her dress dirty". Teaghan (3) will obsessively guard her tutus and jewelry in small safety-deposit boxes she's had installed at our home. Ok they are actually just zippered play boxes, but they might as well be vaults from Malaysia the way she keeps them. She brushes her hair, buckles her own shoes, and washed her hands and applies lip gloss because she is a girl, And us girls like to look and smell pretty and organized. Boys are like noise with mud on them. I don't even know a grown man who can walk out into humid weather, do absolutely nothing, and not come back inside smelling like the boys' 10th grade locker room. Boys have this need to strewn clothing about, all over the house, usually not five inches from a laundry basket. They spit, and pick, and use sleeves to wipe bodily fluids. Maybe it's because I'm one of the prissy clean girls, but I have to award some serious point values to the ladies on this one. Girls are up by one. Boys are tough. Tough to keep clean, but even tougher when they fall down. My son can bust his lip open on the entertainment center (Thursday he did), or wipe out in footed pajamas that've been worn out down the hallway and wallup his forehead into the tile floor so hard that a purple knot grows instantly (last wednesday), or smash his fingers in the door jam in the worst of ways, all to stand up, brush it off, and when asked if he's ok, say "yeah". My girls cry real tears of distress over imaginary boo-boos. Seriously. They wear bandages like Purple Hearts from fallen soldiers. They could singlehandedly win every award at the Academy for "best actress in a traumatizing situation". They practice everyday. They accidentally brush against a blanket made of Indian silk, and they cry foul play. Their "faking-an-injury" skills would put every team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup to shame. I can't handle the whining and crying. So the boys get the tally here. The examples could go on and on. There's a hundred reasons that each side is "easier", and honestly, in various categories to each his/her own. But I know this: regardless of gender differences, each is equally love-able. Each has a sweetness unlike the other. Each teach me lessons on how to love others outside of my home more effectively. God made them, make and female, he created them. And somedays it's hard, really, REALLY hard. But everyday they're good. Because He said so.
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AuthorBri is the mom to four little people, the wife to a gentle giant, and a lover of Jesus. She's figuring out the best ways to parent by trial and error, and sharing her struggles, successes, and stories with you! Archives
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