Boys are harder than girls?!

[blipblopblip]

Parent to a toddler girl, she's very sweet but very active. Walked early, constantly busy , runs and climbs , shouts just as much or maybe more than a lot of her peers. She's a hardy little thing considering she is quite petite and like most mums of toddlers I feel like I'm constantly stopping her from doing dangerous things / climbing too high jumping off etc. being a mum of a toddler is not the easiest thing- why on earth do I keep being told by friends and strangers that boys are harder. Often whilst their boy child is actually sat still whilst my toddler is attempting some death defying stunt. Am I missing something? And why on earth would you tell another mum that their child is easier based on wether or not they have a penis?!

This

Although hopefully for me boys are easier than girls - my 2 boys were super easy so hopefully their little sister will be even easier 😂

I have two girls and always hear that girls are harder, though my personal experience is that boys are harder. I guess as well as it depending on the child and your experience, it also depends what kind of behaviour you find hard.

I get a lot of "teenage girls are awful", too, although again, my experience as a teenager myself was that most of the teenage girls, myself included, were quite mild, and the worst teenagers I met were boys.

It’s because as above poster said, people like their situation to be hardest! I have 3 DC, eldest DS7 is pretty much a breeze. DS5 can be an absolute nightmare if he wants to be. Obviously lots of lovely qualities but he is much much harder work. So it’s just kids being different. Some girls are hard work, some boys are hard work!

Boys are usually harder work when they are small. But they are much easier than girls when they become teenagers.

(I did say usually..)

I haven't had many people say this to me. I have one of each. My boy is very quiet and self contained. My girl has always been more boisterous and energetic. She leaves a trail of destruction wherever she goes!

People usually say to me that toddler boys are harder than toddler girls, but then teenage girls are harder than teenage boys. I have one of each but they’re both very small so I can’t say whether I’ve found that to be the case yet. I think generally speaking that’s the way it tends to go but of course it’s more dependant on their individual personalities.

In my experience my boys are harder. My DD was easier than her brothers. My niece is more difficult than them all.
So I guess my conclusion is all children have different personalities and energy levels, regardless of their gender.

I have 3 boys. They are all very gentle, sweet and affectionate. I do not relate at all to the "#boymum" shit I see online. There's no rough and tumble, no scaling the walls, I have zero need to "walk them like you would a dog everyday" (advice I saw on mumsnet itself for someone expecting a boy!). We are a very chilled household - they love nothing more than cuddling up on the sofa for a film or reading stories together. Meanwhile I know some very noisy and boisterous girls! It's all bollocks.

My eldest had the nickname Duracell. Could literally just keep going for hours. Climbed Snowdon at 3yo for example. Extremely quiet, but could be mischievous.

My youngest believes they are invincible and will literally throw themselves off things. Louder than their sibling and a lot more boisterous.

Both girls!

I have 2 of each. My girls are both harder than my boys. But that is just their individual personalities. Not because they are girls. I have friends who have sons who are harder than their daughters too. Just the way the dice falls.

I have a wild, whirlwind boy and a calm, colouring type boy. I think it's random, but people notice and comment more if your child's behaviour conforms to stereotypes, which only reinforces them.

Did you ever see that BBC documentary a few years ago? Girls and boys toys or something, they dressed tiny children as the opposite sex and childcare workers (who all said they treated kids the same etc etc) invariably gave dolls/pink/fluffy to the "girls" and cars/construction/etc to the "boys".

I found it fascinating, and it does seem true to me - so ultimately I think personalities are mixed between sexes, and a lot of the differences that do become apparent we create ourselves!

Am I missing something? And why on earth would you tell another mum that their child is easier based on wether or not they have a penis?!
That'll be the sexism.

"Girls are easier, " says random idiot.

"Are you always this sexist?" you respond.

My teenage DD is the spawn of Satan I'm sure of it. My younger son is an angel from above. Both perfect babies and very similar back then but complete polar opposites now they're older.

Some experts are now saying children are individuals.

She sounds a lot like my Dd (now 14) when she was a toddler - she was into absolutely everything! I used to experiment and put her in “boys” colours sometimes when she was v little, and she used to be much more indulged but strangers and the general public.

eg- little girl in pink forever getting out of swimming pool, running a bit and jumping back in - gets pulled up by lifeguard. Little child in blue shorts doing it - no one says a word.

She’s the easiest teenager in the world though. And even at primary school used to do everything unprompted.

DS (now 9) was a really easy baby and is a more difficult older child - not badly behaved but has to be prompted and encouraged for every single thing!

But in answer to your actual question, I don’t think it goes by sex. It’s just personalities.

I had a girl first who was (and is a decade later!) an absolute whirlwind! She walked at 8 months and never stopped climbing! My second is a boy and is the complete opposite, so calm, gentle, affectionate and sensible. He's the dream!

I spent 5 years telling everyone that asked how easy boys are compared to girls until I had my second boy. Well my lord, he is next level!!

My conclusion is that sex plays absolutely no part in deciding personality and temperament!

More challenging children are more harder than the easy ones. End of.

I have a girl and a boy. My girl has always been by far the more challenging and difficult one, right from birth. High needs, bouncing off the walls, constantly injuring herself doing something stupid, can't sit and be quiet. Honestly, she drives me nuts. She's nearly a teen now and I'm bracing for the next few years.

My boy has always been easier, right from birth. Very laid back, slept better. Will sit and tinker for hours, sits still, listens, etc. He's just much more chilled out and can entertain himself. Realistically, I suspect I find him easier because he's more like me.

My boy is more boisterous than my girl, bit the girl is STILL harder, just in other ways.

The mum of a little girl used to look at a friend and I with pity, as we had to full time manage corralle our boys and her little girl was a sedentary angel.
I was thrilled with my boy however, as DS1 had been far far harder.
My friend's DC2 was a girl who while more sedentary than her brother was also hands down more stubborn.
The other mum's DC2 was a boy and she promptly realised it varies by child, not by parent.

Absolute crap. It's just about personality. My DS is quiet, sweet and easy work for a toddler! Nothing I did either. Just his personality. He likes playing with his trucks and diggers or in the Sandpit on his own.
I have a second DS who is 12 weeks and I'm already wondering what kind of toddler he'll be😅

I have 6. 4 girls and 2 boys.

My ‘easiest’ is one of my girls.
My hardest is one of my girls.

They’ve all had their stages and turns of being the easiest and the hardest at different times.

Mum of both genders here and the children I find easier to parent are the ones who are closest to me in personality. I get their thought processes more easily and can tune in to their emotions a bit quicker.

Well I have boy and girl twins

My boy is much much harder 😄

Always get the boys are easier comment. Mine isn’t, my two DDs are easier by far. This is purely based on their own individual personalities, people just use these phrases as a convo starter I wouldn’t read too much into it.
When she gets a bit older brace yourself for the “good luck for the teenage years!” comments re having a girl!