I'm the mother of 3 boys so I admit that I have some bias on this subject. But I've run my daycare for almost 10 years so I would also say that I have some first hand knowledge on the boys verses girls subject.
I have always felt that boys have been given a bad wrap. "Boys will be boys" and all that goes with that is true. But "Girls will be girls" as well. It all depends on the individual - you really can't wrap it up in a short phrase.
I have been tending 4 boys (ages 2, 3 and 2, 4 year olds) all morning. And all I can say is "there is no comparison to the rest of the week when one of those 4 year olds was a girl." The noise levels were higher on the day a girl was in the midst; more bickering; more silliness just ... more. I'm not blaming the girl. It is the dynamic between the girl and the boys that is the difference.
The girls I have, in the 3 to 4 year old set play as hard as the boys do. For years, the boys outnumbered the girls by far ... and most of them have older brothers ... so most of the girls I have here have grown up around boys.
It seems that certain kids are drawn to certain personalities - regardless if they are a boy or a girl. The 'trouble maker' draws some, like bees to honey. Kids that are otherwise quiet, enjoy this boisterous and 'on the edge' personality. Others are drawn to the quiet and more nurturing personalities. I count myself fortunate that this was the type of person my youngest son seems to be drawn to. My oldest was drawn to the troublemaker. My middle son spoke his own mind and kept his own company a lot. All 3 of my boys are of a quieter nature ... but each of them seemed to be drawn to different kinds of people. They acted a lot like the company they kept ... and that is what I find with the kids that I tend.
I was talking to a teacher once and she mentioned that if you have 3 kids and 2 of them are quiet-natured, the 3rd will tend to follow suit if they are outnumbered. I find that here a lot (it doesn't matter if it's boys or girls ... it is the nature of the child that counts). And that is what is happening here this morning. Yes, I have 3 boys around the same age. But there are 2 quiet natured ones and one more exuberant one. He's trying hard to get them wound up (but my interference has helped sway the balance to keep it on the quieter side).
Yes, boys and girls may play differently ... I find the biggest difference is in the 'pitch'. The girls voices are more shrill when the noise levels rise whereas the boys voices are louder. I'm simply more accustomed to boys noise, so I do find the shrillness grates on my nerves quicker. Not to say that boys are better ... I'm simply more accustomed to them.
I will never lump up boys or girls with one label. They are individuals ... and if a child grows up with someone labelling and excusing certain behaviour as it's just being a boy or a girl, I think that child will live up to the label.
Yes, they are different. But they live up to our expectations no matter what sex they are.
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