Rambunctious Boys and a Mini Me

Michelle Schneider

3 years ago

raising kids boys girls Is there a difference between raising girls vs boys? I definitely experienced a significant difference between the two sexes. I wasn’t prepared for the discrepancy I experienced as I only grew up with my older sister and never had to deal with boys in the household.

Growing up, my sister was my hero. I followed in her footsteps in almost everything. I thought this was how siblings behaved with each other. Helping each other, mentoring each other, and sharing in life events. That was not even close to what my house was like as I began raising my boys.

When the boys were born, the first few years were as calm as you would expect them to be with 2 young children in the house. Things began to change about the time that Nathan turned 4. This was the point that Nate wanted to do things with Bradley, but Brad has absolutely no interest in spending time with Nate. Nathan was more physical and Bradley was more intellectual. Nate would do things just to irritate Brad and Brad would holler and scream at Nate and then the chaos ensued.

My boys were a significant challenge to raise. They physically fought any chance they could get. The only time they didn’t fight was when they were sleeping. I was convinced that they would never like each other. We actually needed to have a babysitter for much longer than normal. Brad was 15, Nate was 12 and Jess was 9. The main reason we needed that babysitter was to make sure that the boys didn’t kill each other. (There was one instance where I received a call from Jessica crying because the boys were throwing silverware at each other across the house. The only injury came from being hit by a spoon.) I was not used to this level of dissension in the house. My sister and I NEVER were like this.

With the boys, I had challenges with things like

Thinking homework was optional
Physical fighting
Experiments with household chemicals
Dangerous stunts like riding the electric garage door by their belt loops

On the flip side, raising my daughter was the complete opposite of raising the boys. Suddenly I had someone that was my mini-me. She loved school and doing homework and was conscientious about her work. She went with me on our girl shopping trips and was simply fun to be with. She was gentle and responsible. We trusted her so much that when she was 5, she and Grandma Doris babysat the little boys who were 2 & 3. Grandma Doris sat on the couch with the tv remote in one hand and the phone in the other, but Jessica played with the boys, then fed them, bathed them, and put them to bed. Grandma Doris was just the adult in the house in case.

When you compare my experiences raising boys vs girls, I think I’ve encountered all the typical stereotypes. Boys are rambunctious and crazy while girls are sweet and kind. Luckily, all my kids have grown up and embody all the things you’d want in your own kids. They are sweet, caring, thoughtful, smart and “Thank God” they FINALLY like being with each other!