My oldest daughter was 18 months old when I found out that I was pregnant with a little boy. While everyone we told seemed genuinely excited, we also got some responses along the lines of, “Just you wait, boys are a lot different than girls!” This made me nervous. I grew up with two sisters and a lot of girl cousins, and my initial thought was, “What am I going to do with a boy?”
Nearly four years after that ultrasound, I’m the mom of two daughters and a son, and I can say with certainty that boys are different than girls (in my experience), but not always in the ways I was expecting.
Boys are harder to potty train than girls.
As my son approached the two-year mark, this was a warning I’d heard over and over again. Thankfully, it was not true for us. My son potty trained easily, an experience unlike my daughter’s. I think this has a lot to do with birth order — second children copy everything their big sibling does!
Boys are easier than girls.
This probably varies depending on age, but I can’t say that one is easier than the other. My son is very physical, while his big sister is more emotional. All of us are “difficult” in our own ways, aren’t we?
You’ll have a closer bond with your son.
I heard this a lot when I was pregnant — that the bond with my son would be extra magical compared to the one I had with my daughter. This worried me because I had a very close bond with my oldest daughter and was afraid of losing that after the birth of my second child. I love my son, so much, but I don’t have a closer bond with him than I do with my daughters. If anything, my husband bonds more with him over shared interests! My heart has expanded with the birth of each of my children, and I’m grateful for that.
Boys are less sensitive than girls.
Maybe this will be true as my son gets older, but it could not be further from the truth right now. He’s not always as outwardly emotional as his big sister, but he does pick up on my emotions. A couple of weeks ago, he drew me a picture of my grandma, who died last year, telling me he thought I wouldn’t be sad anymore if he “made her” for me. Cue the tears.
Little boys are extra clingy.
I think we all know the “mama’s boy” stereotype, but it is sadly not true for my son. He loved to be held often as a baby, but now he’s Mr. Independent and rarely slows down long enough to give me a hug.
At the end of the day, all of our children are special in their own ways, regardless of gender stereotypes. If you are a boy mom, are any of these true for you?
, but not always in the ways that I expected.){kind=link}