Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Boys vs. Girls

I never saw myself as having a boy as a mom. I always pictured having a girl. Although I dreamed of having a boy, I never really new what that would be like nor could I picture it because I only have a sister and growing up it was just us girls, doing girl things and playing with girl toys. We played with barbies and dolls and kepts ourselves busy for hours, days sometimes, playing house. If ever there were a a brave little neigbhorhood boy who dared come over to our house during one of our so-called "Barbie and Ken" weddings, he was probably bored out of his mind watching us. We had no race cars for him to push around the room, unless you want to count the pink Barbie convertible. Now, having have a boy, I am really starting to notice the difference in the way boys and girls act and play and also the difference in the way parents of only boys act, and parents with only girls act. Since Tanner has turned 3, I think we have acquired at least 50 race cars, 10 trucks, 2 train sets plus the trains themselves. He will play with those cars and trucks all day and never get bored even though there is only a couple of make-believe sounds that you can come up with, one being a "VROOM-VROOM" sound and another being a "CRASH". There's only so many different ways you can say them (once). Although, he does not get bored playing with his cars, his attention span for everything else is miniscule. He craves attention every second of the day, and whether it's good or bad attention, he will do whatever it takes to get it. I haven't figured out if it's a boy thing or an age thing. Probably a little of both but when I watch my friends' with little girls as they sit and play with their dollies, compared to my boy who is maybe pushing the doll stroller but most likely racing it around the room..Or, throwing and breaking the chalk rather than drawing with it. I can't help to feel a little jealous that I can't make Tanner sit quietly for 5 seconds. Boys are just different than girls in every way. Little girls who are learning to talk will most likely not talk until they know exactly what words they are trying to say and how it is going to sound coming out. Boys will ramble on on and tell you stories all day in jibber jabber and then look at you like you're supposed to know what story it is that they are telling. I'm not sure if I will every be so lucky someday as to have a girl too, but I am sure that if I do it will be completely different and interesting. One thing is for sure, and that is I'll definitly have to change the lullaby songs that we sing at night, considering the titles: "Big Green Tractor" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". Yes, boys are different than girls. And for those of you out there who told me boys are easier than girls, you obviously forgot what it was like to have a 2 and 3 year old boy so I won't hold it against you for getting my hopes up. I will say at this point, and maybe I am bias, but I think boys are more fun than girls (of course, I'm bias). I love my strong-willed, kind hearted little guy who loves to play with trucks and stomp in the mud, but he also looooves his mama. He's taught me so much about life and he's only 3. Even though the good days are great and the bad days are awful, I wouldn't take back even one second with him and I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds for us...hopefully a really looong nap!