Do boys need less parenting and cost less to raise than girls?

[elliejjtiny]

Can you settle this debate for me because I have all sons so don't have any daughter experience.

My MIL insists that boys need "less parenting" than girls and that they cost less to bring up.

I think that's rubbish and it's about individual personality, if they have disabilities/health problems and how much parents are willing to pay.

We are broke so the dc know that they get clothes from Primark/supermarket/ebay and if they want anything fancier then it's a Christmas/birthday present. Apparently if they were girls I would "have" to buy them designer stuff otherwise they would get body image issues/eating disorders.

My dc have their fair share of problems, autism, self harming etc which apparently would be worse if they were girls. I don't think that's true. I think some issues are more common in boys or in girls but neither sex is particularly easy.

But apparently I am clueless about how hard it is to have girls because I don't have any.

Utter codswallop.

HTH

Your MIL seems to be talking shit.

No

Your MIL is wrong!

I have two of each. They are all different people. Nothing to do with sex, IMO.

I think it’s quite clear from the state of the world that boys need more parenting if anything. Somehow they need to learn not to rape and murder children amongst other things.

My friend with 2 boys and 2 girls would agree boys cost less. I have three girls so don’t have the comparison. It will depend on hobbies and the individual but I don’t think it’s an outrageous assumption. I disagree they need less parenting; different parenting perhaps.

Currently my 17 year old boy is costing more than my 15 year old daughter. He had tutoring for GCSE’s last year, now help to insure a car and pay for driving lessons, pay his bus fare to college and tools for his trade. I’m sure my daughter will also want the car stuff when she’s 17 but don’t think she’ll need tutoring or tools or even a bus to college as she’ll stay in the 6th form. Its not about boys vs girls, it depends on their personalities etc

She sounds bonkers. Is she imagining that all girls have piano and ballet lessons and boys just kick a ball around and play with mud? 🤷‍♀️

Absolutely no!

I saw a social media post the other day about a "boy mom" being so smug/ chilled because her son was in his room all day playing computer games and she was talking to a "girl mom" who was super stressed by her daughter's drama.

All that said though was that the boy wasn't getting the parenting he needed and was being left to his own devices, something that some people think is more acceptable for boys.

Sorry but your mil is talking rubbish. Some children cope with life problem free. Others need more help. I've raised my two sons alone. Same as you regarding clothes, anything extra fancy we save up for

Bollocks. I have 2 of each and all four are different in terms of needs and interests.

Why does she think that girls cost more??

Boys need just as much parenting as girls, the idea that you can let them be feral and ‘boys will be boys’ is what’s resulted in too many feckless men that have no ability to regulate and behave like decent humans.

She's absolutely right. My son's horses are really cheap to buy, keep and compete.

I'm sure a pink ribbons for girls hair would've cost less though 🤐

😂😂😂😂😂signed, skint mother of 5 over-parented sons!

I have one if each, a 24yo DS and a 20yo DD. My boy has cost way more and required far more parenting than my girl, she’s super independent rather than him being needy.

She’s talking rubbish .

Not if you do it properly.

I completely agree personalities are the main factor.

i have had your MIL views said to me quite a lot though. But i alwaya think look at what happens when boys go wrong - the stats around prison, drugs, education, employment etc arent great. (not suggesting it all down to parenting - bit imagine how stressful that is to parent)

I embarrassingly cried in a staff room once when my colleagues were saying how easy boys were compared to girls. My son had complex sen, was out of education at the time and had violent meltdowns. The girls tin question were healthy in full time school and I had this real gut wrench that my child was not easy, we were struggling so much.

I have both. Girls definitely cost more. Hair cuts, hair products, bras, sanitary products. I think girls clothes tend to cost more than the boys. Depending obvs where you shop. And clubs they chose tend to be more expensive than the local football club.
Travel when they get older. My 6ft son wouldn’t think twice about walking home in the dark. Not so much for girls. There’s lots of little things that add up. My girls definitely cost more than the boys.

I have 3, we have never had much spare money.

dc 1 - boy. Only wears named brands, since he was at secondary school. Totally mortified by the idea of Primark/Asda clothing even for socks and undies. He got a part time job as soon as he could to pay for his clothing and style choices.
Likes good things, now as an adult is pretty money orientated.

dc2 - girl, completely alternative. As a child simply did not care what they were wearing in terms of brands and designer. Only interested in colour and comfort. Wore almost exclusively from the boys department (the T shirts were so much cooler, dinosaurs and sharks) and never been into make up. Now as an adult wears exclusively jeans and hoodies, and workmen's boots.

dc 3 - loves clothes and fashion, but completely adores vinted/ebay and charity shops. She always looks amazing, but spends peanuts. She has just wafted in from sixth form college in very cool high heeled boots she bought on vinted, a skirt that she got from a friend who was having a clear out and a jumper from same friend from previous clear out.

Girls are not more expensive than boys. It si entirely personality driven.

I think like for like

once you get to puberty
girls are more expensive

just with
haircuts
underwear
sanitary protection

other than these essentials

level pegging

I have boys and girls, they have all needed more parenting at various points in their lives, not based on their sex but based on whatever they are doing through at any point.

My girls absolutely don't cost more in clothes, they love a bargain, the boys maybe cost a bit more because they were in adult sizes about age 12/13.

Overall they cost about the same, and need parenting the same amount.

I have all boys and each has required a different amount of parenting, one is very mature for their age, another has needed more guidance and caused much more stress than the others. One was heavily into designer clothes from early teens so would not wear clothes from Primark, another really didn't care about clothes and wore what I bought. It depends on many factors, not just whether they are a boy or girl.

I would tend to agree

haircuts - ds had his cut every 6 weeks.
dd 1 had long hair, trimmmed about once a year
dd2 had long hair with shaved undercut, I shaved the undercut when it needed doing, she got the long top trimmed about every 3 months .

ds was most expensive.

she is talking shite.