Are boys easier to raise than girls?

[PlatinumBlondeXo]

Everyone always says that baby boys are easier to raise than baby girls. They are typically less hard work and more placid. Is that true or just a myth?

And my DC who is the most gentle, kind, thoughtful and willing to sit quietly and draw, is a boy…so…

I have 1 girl aged 7, she's so far been a super easy child and is happy to do anything or nothing at all whereas my friends (with the exception of 1) with boys ideally have to go out at least once a day on a scoot/bike ride/to the park etc as the boys need to get out and burn some energy.
At family gatherings i've noticed the girls tend to sit nicer at the table, the boys fidget more and keep getting off their chairs.
My mum did say though as kids when we were ill my brother was easier, he'd just go to sleep whereas i'd whine a lot and be a bit dramatic
Guess it depends what you think is easy really.
I love that my daughter will happily chill at home watching tv, playing with her toys etc.

Well it would be great if my boy would sleep on his own and not cry when he wakes in the night and realises I'm gone! He's easy in some ways but hard in others. He's very cuddly to me, which is quite stereotypical of baby boys - and this can make things hard. I'm having a hard time stopping breastfeeding as he still very much wants it for comfort (he's 2 years, 2 months).

Myth. I have one of each and they were both easy to raise. Set boundaries and enforce them without exception and the rest falls into place.

All children are difficult to raise well. At each age there are different challenges.

Any child of someone who is so sexist and to think that the whole category of male children can be generalised about, and that the whole categoty of female children can be generalised about, is probably going to be particularly difficult for them to raise what with having the disadvantage of a sexist parent. Plus of course that parent will naturally find raising any child difficult because their sexism is likely to go hand-in-hand with being a bit thick and unable to think flexibly which will make the job tricky from the get-go.

No child is actually a gender stereotype.

That said, if you rigorously enforce gender-stereotype conditioning according to sexist principles right from the start, you will be enforcing higher expectations of compliance and obedience on your girls, while encouraging your boys to be disobedient and unpleasant - so yes it could be self-fulfilling if you believe it - but doing so is a really crappy way to be a parent.

Roll up and get your stereo types here…

My 16 month old girl is thus far easy and pretty laid back.

I think that you can't generalise, it really depends on the individual. With that being said, if I had to choose I would prefer a son over a daughter.

My twin niece and nephew couldn't be more different too. My niece's nickname at nursery was The CEO. She was the only child ever to work out how to break out. But my nephew was tricky in other ways - he was very sensitive, and if you so much as thought about breaking eye contact he cried.

In my antenatal group,my five month old boy is described as "the charmer" because he cracks out smiles easily, but he's also the most boisterous, and I've had to stop going because he finds them boring because I won't let him grab knives, whilst all the girl babies are sitting cutely on mum's knee.

But I reckon he'll be easier once he has more physical control.

My somewhat rambling point being... Difficult changes at different age groups. And for different mums too. I found managing my headstrong niece easier than my sensitive nephew.

*Completely true.

All baby boys are exactly the same, just as all girls act the same.*

Of course it's not true - my son's personality is completely different to that of my daughter, who is much more chilled. They're young adults bow and still very different.

I think their is some truth to it, depending on who you are as a person. My mum had all girls, found us very hard in the teenage years, enjoyed all other years. My auntie had 5 boys and says they were all hard work

I have a boy and a girl, 7 and 9. So far, my DS has been a lot easier to parent than DD. But their completely different personalities, DS is a very chilled personality but energetic where as DD is less energetic but has a more adventurous personality

I think it’s an urban myth if I’m honest. I mean, my ds was easier than dd but I was a fucking delight.

I've got both 'varieties' and I don't think it's as simple as boy -v- girl. They all come with their own unique set of challenges!

Somebody did once say to me that, with a boy, you only have to worry about one prick, compared to girls!!!

Probably a myth as are all black or white questions. In my (very limited)experience as a mum of 2 ,teacher and friend of other mums,girls seem to be easier to raise. My daughter is definitely the easier child out of the two. Easy baby, toddler and 4 years old so far. My son is super hard work.

You got it wrong.
The first one is easy.
The second one is hard.
The third is in between.
Always, regardless of sex, it never deviates. There is a rule.

From what I've experienced, girls are easier to raise than boys, up until the teenage years. At that point, boys are basically self-managing, and they need from you is to feed them, clothe them and keep them out of jail (granted, that's easier said than done with some).

Girls, on the other hand, are much more high-maintenance in the modern world.

Context: I have three brothers, and I have a daughter. Admittedly, this is comparing across generations...

Always amazed by this! Raising any child is never "easy"! They all have their challenges and issues. Mum of 2 dds and a ds, all teens/ early twenties. My relationship with each of them is different but equally great. Throughout they have all had ups and downs, but if I was pushed I'd have to say that dd2 needed the most help/ support

I have an only child (boy) so I couldn’t say - but I always thought the generalisation/stereotype was the exact opposite? 🤷‍♀️ That young boys are supposed to be constantly tearing around the place and apparently can’t sit still and concentrate for more than a few minutes - so need to be doing lots of physical activities etc whereas girls are supposed to be calmer? ( at least until the drama of the tween/teenage years).

I must admit purely based on taking my toddler to lots of play groups there might be something in this - more of the girls do seem to be better at sitting there quietly at story time or craft time etc. But it’s definitely not universal - there’s some very placid, quiet boys and some hell raiser girls 🤣 Plus I hate to think of societal expectations influencing children this early but maybe that could be the case too?

I have 3 girls. The teenage years have nearly broken me.

My sister has 3 boys. She is breezing through the teenage years.

I have to admit, I’m so glad I don’t have a girl. I have my seven year old son and I do have to be firm with him, but so much easier than a girl for me. That’s because I’m a bit of a tomboy. Sometimes I think it’s just easier depending on your own preference.

I know this is incredibly unpopular on MN but I do think there are observable differences between how boys and girls generally behave at different ages and I can totally see how this could lead to a parent finding on or other easier to raise. I also controversially think that these differences are probably rooted in both biology and socialisation so the whole thing is difficult to unpick.

In my experience, boys are generally more energetic and physical than girls, especially when they're young. They struggle to sit and concentrate and their default mode of behaviour seems to be to wrestle each other and be rough. This definitely isn't all boys and there are some that are the absolute opposite but I would say the majority are like this. This can be challenging for school and just generally for things that require civilised behaviour. The amount of parents that tell me that their boys need to be walked like dogs each day is crazy compared to girl mums where you hear it much less.

Girls generally seem to be calmer and ostensibly more placid but their social relationships with each other tend to be more complex and this can bring a lot more drama. It is uncommon IME to have problems with boys leaving each other out or changing best friends, whereas this is a daily occurrence with lots of young girls. They rarely fight but their battles are undertaken with words and this can be just as wounding.

I worry more about my daughter's social life and friendships whereas I worry more about my boys silliness and inability to apply himself properly. It's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other really but they are definitely different IME.

@Bumpitybumper there certainly are observable differences. They arise manly because boys and girls are treated differently from the day they are born, or even before, and it us these environmental factors thatcause the behaviour differences. If girls and boys are genuinely treated the same and not subjected to any sexist influences the differences disappear but it's impossible to bring up a child without any sexism because sexism permeates throughout our society and culture in millions of ways.

The Gendered Brain by Gina Rippon is well worth a read.

My boys are dicks. Hope that helps.

JFC the stereotypes on here.

Socialisation is a powerful force.

The only thing harder about bringing up a girl is the heartbreaking point at which you have to tell them about boundaries and personal safety.
They are physically more vulnerable.

It's a disgraceful fact of bringing up girls.

Hopefully the majority of women in this thread are doing a great job of bringing up boys that understand that.

This has never been definitively proven either way. It's not just about the brain but also hormonal differences. Personally I believe that it is much more likely that oys and girls are biologically different and socialisation can work to exacerbate this or diminish this.