News, Boys vs. girls: Who's harder to raise.

[121804]

I am told that boys are much harder in the beginning and mellow out over age.

How many times are young boys looked at as the "trouble makers" in school compared to the young girls who sit quietly & smile? It's all biology

I have 3 boys & my friends w/ girls tell me around 8-9 things start to get really tough w/ girls & boys are just still being rowdy.

I'd prefer rowdy over whiney/bratty. I also like the fact that when I go clothes shopping for them, there is 1/9 of the stuff for them as compared to girls.

[KylieEve]

I don't think it has anything to do with gender. I think it's all about the child's personality. You can have an easy going girl and a bratty boy and vice versa. It is more expensive to raise girls though that's for sure.
Raising kids of any gender is tough.

[skahar]

I have 3 boys and one girl. My DD has been fairly easy, although the dramatics and jealousy between girls is definitely much more to deal with.

Boys I don't know if it's harder or just scarier. Seems as if I am gasping in anticipation, of their latest antic going horribly wrong, every time I turn around. Doesn't help that we (DH and I) watch shows like Most Shocking, Most Daring, AFV and the like and it is always boys (or men) doing incredibly stupid stuff. My oldest son is 12 and I am wondering if he will be as dumb in the coming years. Gosh I hope not, I don't think my nerves could take it.

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by Ceece

My daughter (23) was much harder to raise because she was fiercely independent and would always leap before she looked guaranteeing years of stress and worry. However, she moved out at 18 for college and never came back. She can still be sassy but we have a great relationship.

My son (20) was a piece of cake. A happy, laid back kid who never caused a minutes worry, is extremely cautious about things, and polite beyond measure. It's a good thing too because he doesn't seem to want to leave home. Ever. LOL

Similar to this. My daughter was a very easy infant, toddler and small child. She grew into that independent and determined girl. Always polite and a good student etc etc - never gave us worry that way but I have my share of gray hairs from her high school years. She is 20, away at college and still extremely independent, responsible and driven. Those are good traits in college. She's doing great and we have a great relationship. Calls/texts most every day.

DS was a very frustrating infant, busy and demanding toddler and young child. He's 17 and haven't had a moment's worry. Yet anyway.

[springfieldva]

My boys were demanding infants, very active toddlers and preschoolers. Constantly eating, growing and on the move, boisterous. They were a handful, no question. I remember how easy little girls seemed by comparison.

Now my boys are in elementary school. They're still eating a lot, growing like weeds and they are still very physical but they don't require constant care and supervision from me now. Not much drama. At this point, I think my boys are probably a bit easier than girls would be.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the teenaged years.

[kaykay]

Originally Posted by paganmama80

Age plays a big factor i feel....i know my mother said when we were young my brother was a pain because like all boys he had bundles of energy. But once we became teens then us girls make life interesting for them :-P.

A friend recently told me that this is indeed "the conventional wisdom" on the subject~
Boys are harder when they are little, but girls are harder when they are older. I think there is probably truth to that, in general. (Child's temperament/personality certainly makes a difference too.)

[neuro]

Some of it is going to come down to age. At younger ages boys are a handful. They are always getting into things. They are much more likely to end up in urgent care getting stitches. At a younger age girls seem to be better about thinking through the repercussions of their actions. Once you hit the teenage years girls become a much more complex and incomprehensible than their male counter parts. I will gladly take three teenage boys to one teenage girl.

101 Questions guaranteed to start a conversation with your teenager

[GloryB]

The only easier thing about boys is that they don't come home pregnant. Other than that, I agree with lisalan in that it just depends on the personality of the child. As my mom reminded me each time I got pregnant......'keep in mind there is always a chance this one will inherit the worst traits from both of you'.

One of them actually did. Can't say which one since one of them reads around on this forum.

[tarragon]

I've raised 4 boys, now raising a 5th one that we adopted. It's all personality. All of my boys are different. The first one was very outgoing, aggressive, serious, second one -outgoing, sensitive, funny, 3rd one - played some sports, funny, smart until 9th grade then started being a "know it all", 4th one - not physically athletic but very very bright off to a great college, reserved, does his own thing, doesn't give us much trouble (the 3rd one keeps me on my toes BUT is the most thoughtful towards me). Our little one now is a character, very strong willed high maint.,! I have friends who have daughters and they tend to be more dramatic and show jealousy easier than the boys. When the boys get older everything changes when they get married. They tend to drift away where as from what I have seen, the girls tend to become closer to their parents.

[DewDropInn]

I think with boys you miss a lot of the drama. They are happy to be part of a gang. Have three or four best friends. I didn't have to deal with a lot of sobbing into the pillow because the "best friend" went to the movies with someone else.

(I hear stories.)