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The difference between girls and boys - your thoughts please!

22 replies

Mandymoo · 01/01/2006 21:12

Hi - have started a thread on Pregnancy and thought it would be interesting to do this. Have dd already and am now expecting a little boy in May and am panicking about not having done the boy thing before.

Please tell me the differences between a little girl and a little boy (obvoius ones not required!!) TIA XX

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Crystaltips · 01/01/2006 21:14

ummmm .... NO ! NO ! NO ! Crass answers obviously not appreciated !

Mandymoo · 01/01/2006 21:15

oh go on then!

OP posts:
Crystaltips · 01/01/2006 21:15

Must admite - don't think mine are typical ... thought DS loves to play with anything electronic and DD is more crafty and imaginative .... DD is quite definitly not scared to give things a go - she'd be more adventurous and sporty .....

Crystaltips · 01/01/2006 21:16

Maybe that's more of a first born / second born thing ????

elliott · 01/01/2006 21:17

but the thing is mandymoo, even if you had another dd she would be different enough for you to think you were starting over again!
I have 2 ds's and really they are so different. It is a mistake to over-generalise imo. At least having a ds you are expecting him to be different, if it was another dd it would be much more of a surprise!

Twiglett · 01/01/2006 21:32

first born DS .. now almost 5 was a placid, calm slightly solemn little baby, lovinng, gentle little boy who loves playfighting as power rangers and spiderman .. can be extremely funny .. loves fifi and the flowerpots and angelina ballerina .. says he doesn't like pink but does really ... current favourite game is Merry Kissmass .. followed by huge kissing frenzy

second born DD .. 19 months was a very placid, calm, happy baby and is turning into a real madame also loves the kissing game

Clary · 01/01/2006 21:34

My DSs are sooo different from each other. I also have a DD and she is different again. For example DS1 is very loving, DD is very brave in a mental way, dS2 very strong and brave physically. Also all 3 look very different. Only DS2 looks anything like me. DS1 is the spit of his dad. Basically I think that all children are different, why do we expect them to be carbon copies? (I was as guilty of this as anyone until dd disabused me of the idea pretty soon after she was born!)

Frizbethebumpedupreindeer · 01/01/2006 22:01

well ss says he could eat his toast end on and not get jam all over his face, but its more fun the other way, dd thinks he's mad and why would a girl want jam all over her face?

lyra41 · 01/01/2006 22:25

I have ds first and dd second and there are definite differences between the 2. Hard to say which are individual differences and which are sex differences.

ds slept really well from very early on, through the night at about 4 weeks, and continued to be a good sleeper, tended to sleep things off, like a cold, immunisations, teething etc. always napped twice a day, sometimes slept on into the night from a nap at 4pm! He has always been more interested in putting things together and taking them apart, he's good at maths and science, he learned to read later than dd and still isn't an avid reader, he's very loving and protective towards me, he's fairly uncomplicated emotionally, either on an even keel (most of the time) or really angry about something and likely to throw things around and shout. He's 13 now, and has been that way all his life. He's started puberty only in the last 6 months, and his voice has just started deepening.

dd was conspicuously language oriented from very early on. she spoke earlier than ds, and used to play games with words just for fun, at 3 she would reverse words sound by sound, which i couldn't do without really thinking hard about it.
she never slept much in the day, seemed to be too interested in what was going on to go to sleep. she still needs less sleep than her older brother. she was a fantastic breast feeder from birth, very effecient and just seemed to know what to do.
she learned to read early and continues to enjoy books and story tapes.
she's quite complicated emotionally, thinks a lot about her own and others' feelings and relationships with school friends.

sorry to blab on, but i do love them both. and ds2 is due any day, so i'll be revising my ideas again.

i honestly think we all have a real mixture of male and female in us. some of us have more female characteristics, emotionally, intellectually, physically etc. and vice versa.

JoolsToo · 01/01/2006 22:33

boys have a willy

TheholyGHOSTY · 01/01/2006 22:35

As babies I found DS really hard work (terrible sleeper, cried a lot, breastfeeding didn't work, etc etc) but DD much much easier (great sleeper, placid, never cried, great breastfeeder etc etc)
As toddlers I found DS a piece of cake (great eater, early talker, chilled, happy to go with the flow and always did what he was told) but DD, who is nearly 2, a blinking nightmare ... terrible eater (still a good sleeper tho), tantrum queen, won't do what she is told, easily frustrated, stroppy.

DS is quite a complex little boy at 6. Very bright and funny but needs constant entertainment and stimulation. Very emotional and sensitive. And painfully shy in an unknown environment. Very much into the 'boys' stuff, sport, things with wheels, wants to know how things work ...
DD loves girly stuff ... prams, kitchens, dollies. Loves to dance and is not at all shy ...

elliott · 01/01/2006 22:41

but ghosty, I could have written that post about my ds1 and ds2....(ds1 being like your ds, ds2 like dd!)

Posey · 01/01/2006 22:52

Dd (1st born) hard baby then a piece of cake and a constant pleasure, funny, bright, unique... now 8.5
Ds (2nd born) easy peasy baby, hard toddler. Now just turned 3. VERY affectionate, physically, loves kisses and cuddles and bodily contact. Dd doesn't and never has.

Dd likes artycrafty stuff, struggle to get ds to do anything like that. He loves cars and trains, lego etc. Both medium on the physical activity.
Both very bookish.

I don't think you're going to get any answers on here BTW

cutekids · 01/01/2006 22:54

I panicked about this too....tell u wot tho....boys are so, so loving. they adore their mums. enjoy him....he'll bring so much pleasure!

TheholyGHOSTY · 01/01/2006 22:56

Exactly eaney ... it is hard to work out how far the differences are due to their sex, their 'order' in the family and just plain personality?
I think we should ask someone who has more than 2 children ... preferably someone who has 4 or more with an even mix of sexes ...

Anyone?

saadia · 02/01/2006 00:00

Apart from the biological differences I think it's generally known that girls develop language and empathy earlier and how to socialise, while boys are more physical and active. Of course there are exceptions. I know Steve Biddulph has written about raising boys. I haven't read any of his books but I understand (and I don't know how qualified he is) that he recommends delaying boys' entry into nursery because they need longer to form secure attachments at home.

I have two dss so can't offer a personal comparison but I don't think the differences are anything to worry or panic about. Raising girls and boys are different experiences, I think you ae lucky if you get the chance to do both.

maZebraltov · 02/01/2006 03:16

i had boy girl boy in that order.... the boys are more demanding, less interested in details, less likely to behave or obey, more likely to be cheeky -- than the girl. I like having both, wouldn't want all of 1 flavour.

wavingordrowning · 02/01/2006 22:31

Boys excrete more. Much more. Never endingly.
Boys love gizmos - the only thing that used to galvanise ds into crawling was the TV remote.
Girls are manipulative little minxes.

handlemecarefully · 02/01/2006 22:43

Don't anyone say that girls are bitchy, scream and shriek more, are conniving etc (all generalisations that I have seen on mumsnet over the years) or I'll 'ave you! (adoring mum of both genders btw)...

Having read thread with trepidation glad to see sensible posts on this... too early in the New Year to parp!

There are differences between my boy and girl but I suspect that this is personality rather than sex....Mandymoo - you will adore having a little boy (as much as you adore having your little girl). Don't worry about not having done the boy thing before - it's irrelevent, honestly! (I did worry about the same before ds arrived and wonder why now)

mummytosteven · 02/01/2006 22:47

I think girls tend to be more language oriented the boys.

HappyNewFrannyandZooey · 02/01/2006 22:53

The way I perceive it, girls are more independent than boys, at least at first (ds and peers are nearly 3). Boys seem to need more reassurance, more cuddles, more attention.

Boys are fab

maZebraltov · 03/01/2006 00:48

exception to every rule, my dd is the least independent child possible!

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