Friday, January 13, 2012

The differences between boys and girls

I have had several people ask me in the past 7 months if I have noticed a big difference between girls and boys.

Well, other than the obvious anatomy, no, I haven’t seen many differences.  (And I stand firm in my belief that changing a girl diaper is easier/quicker than changing a boy diaper.)

I mean, he’s 7 (almost 8!) months old.  He does pretty much the exact same things the girls did at the same age.  He is eating, sleeping, moving, trying to put EVERYTHING in his mouth, laughing, fussing, experiencing.

When Elyn was born, 19 months after Nora, I wasn’t too far from the infant/baby stage.  I remember how DIFFERENT they were as babies!

Nora-high maintenance, FABULOUS sleeper and eater, slow to roll over, crawl and walk (well, slowish), no arguments with what she wore, great in the car, only had to be told once not to do something, would sit on the floor with her toys or books and be content for quite a while all alone, very cautious to do anything new.

Elyn-such a good baby…rarely cried, didn’t mind going to other people, ok sleeper and eater, quick to roll over, crawl and walk (well, quickish), ALWAYS argued with what she wore, good in the car but gets antsy pretty quickly…she needed a LOT of activities to keep her occupied on long trips, had to be told multiple times to quit doing something and even then would step right up to the line of disobedience many, many times, would play with toys or books for approximately 30 seconds by herself before she wanted to be around other humans, would dive head first into a new experience.

Hmmm, both girls are still the same.

My girls are SO different from each other!  And I am so thankful for that!  I love that they each have their own, unique personality.  I remember when Elyn was a toddler and was so active and defiant, mothers of boys would say, “Just wait until you have a boy!”  When they said that to me I would think, I’m sure a boy will be different from Elyn…just like Elyn is different from Nora!

I realize that once Rives hits mobility and toddlerhood, he will be different from the girls.  I know that as he grows, his mood swings and temperament will be completely different from his sisters’.  I understand that as a teenager his mind will work differently (and thank you God for his daddy who will be there to relate that teenage boy mind) from a female teenager.  I am aware that as an adult, as a man, he will react and act with a slower, more deliberate manner than his adult sisters’ will.

God created man and woman differently-again, thank you God for Your wisdom, You knew what we needed.

I have been thinking recently, if I would have had a girl and then a boy, would I equate the differences in my children as differences between a girl and a boy?  I will never know, obviously.  God gave us two girls first.  I see the differences in my girls as differences in PERSONALITY.

And, at 7 months of age (almost 8!) I see the differences in Rives and the girls as differences in HIS personality.  I am confident that I will see girl/boy differences as he gets bigger, and I really look forward to that!  I am excited to parent both genders and feel honored that God has blessed me with girls and a boy.

Boys and girls…God is so creative!

2 comments:

Prince Edward said...

My mom always chalked up the differences in me and Stephen (younger bro) as differences between boys and girls. Once I had two boys (and now three!) she has become a HUGE believer in how birth order influences personalities, etc. Fun to read about your three and see how they are very similar (at least so far) to the personalities of my boys.

Unknown said...

I can relate to your post... even the differences between my two girls. But I tell you what, once Max learned to walk it seems like he's become all boy!! Much more physical, which is fun, although I have to admit that I'm glad he's my last or our baby furniture would have never survived 3 kids. The biggest difference for me is the relationship between me and my boy... it's almost too much to put into words, but it's really special. And I know yours is too.

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