Already I've noticed some differences between boys and girls (developmentally, duh). I certainly hadn't expected these differences to manifest themselves so early on; after all, Hunter's not even a year yet. No matter. He's quickly schooling us in the joys of having a boy.
A friend who also has two kids (one of each, daughter first, like us) recently told me that having the girl first does nothing to prepare you for having a boy. Actually, maybe having a girl first is a bit of a disservice; you're lulled into thinking "I can do this parenting thing; I don't understand why so many other parents (those with boys) are always so tired." And then you have a boy who totally upends that thinking.
What we've learned so far (yes, these might just reflect personality differences, but we attribute them to gender):
-Leah: Would stay in one room as a baby, even after she started crawling.
-Hunter: Check ya later! I'm heading to ... (bathroom, office, living room, stairs)
-Leah: Pulled on the locked cabinets a couple times, and then moved on.
-Hunter: I KNOW these open. If I just keep trying...
-Leah: Baby proof? Uh, sure we did. Minimally.
-Hunter: Gives a whole new meaning to babyproof. Hmmm, what will he get into/ explore next?
-Leah: When she expressed an interest in the stairs, Scott helped her climb them, thinking (correctly) that if it wore her out, she wouldn't bother with them again. (Thus we didn't need a gate at the bottom of the stairs.)
-Hunter: I might be tired (when I reach the top), but I want to do that again... and again... and again. (We now keep the doors to the kitchen closed since little man will make a break for the stairs whenever he gets a chance. Upstairs is no different, either; looks like we'll have to put a gate up after all. Otherwise, Hunter will try to crawl headfirst down the stairs!)
Needless to say, at times it seems as if we're learning how to parent all over again. I certainly better understand where some of my girlfriends (of boys) were coming from when they advised me to move certain breakables out of Leah's reach. I scoffed at the time since Leah really wasn't that interested (or she learned quickly not to mess with them); I doubt that Hunter will be so compliant. No, I can picture him just grinning, and going back for more.
2 comments:
AND...everything you just listed about Hunter perfectly described at least 2 of my girls (as well as the boy :). Yes, there are definitely gender differences, but also a LOT of personality and birth order differences, too (not to mention that even if your 1st is into everything, you just have ONE to look after, and not two, so that sometimes makes the 2nd..or 3rd...or 4th ones seem even more busy :). Enjoy the fun of both genders! My boy is indeed a crazy tornado, but I've found he also seems to have the sweetest heart of the 4 kids :) Miss y'all!!
LOVE IT! Welcome to the boy club! Though I, like C, have a little girl who is right on the heels of her big brother wherever his curious, busy self takes them and often racing him to whatever mischief is to be found. She just does it with her tea cup in one hand and costume jewelry on the other. Miss y'all! ~ali
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