Friday, September 16, 2011

Back to School - Boys vs. Girls

My first child was a girl.  When we found out our second child would be a boy my mother told me I would notice a difference in the way a baby boy cried vs. a baby girl.  She even told me that my sister had called her and told her she was right about this.  I never noticed it.

Fast forward to now and I am noticing a big difference between my girl and my boys...this is not a personality difference, it is definitely gender difference.

Last week my sweet live-ins started school.  At the end of each of their days I ask them how their days went, what was their favorite thing, do they like their teacher, what they played on the playground, did they eat all their lunch, etc...

My sweet girl is happy to tell me all about her day, in colorful, vivid detail.  A moment by moment recollection.  When I ask her questions she answers happily and thoroughly.  This process takes quite a while.  Just when I think I have heard it all, we have dinner and I hear it all again and then some.

In contrast, trying to get any information out of my boys about their day is like trying to pull teeth with no hands.  This is how this conversation usually sounds:

How was your day? Fine
Do you like your teacher? Yes
What was your favorite part of the day? Recess
You can't pick recess.  Then nothing.
What did you learn? Nothing
Did you do math?

It is a this point that Live-In #2 pretty much stops answering and Live-In #3 makes a loud sound of frustration.  This is when I realize I like all the colorful vivid detail.  I am used to 13 years of colorful vivid detail. But, my precious boys are not going to give it to me.

I can sum it all up...My girl is her mother's daughter and my boys are their father's sons.

1 comment:

  1. Funny and familiar! Ella talked my ear off tonight - who knew?

    ReplyDelete