From the moment you get to know that you are expecting, you start wondering whether it’s going to be a girl or a boy.
You are always dreaming about how you would bring up your child and what kind of relationship you would share with them. Every parent like you has this concern of whether they should raise a baby girl in a different manner as compared a boy?
According to the paediatrician, Dr. T Berry Brazelton, in his book ‘Toddlers and Parents’ no matter how hard you try to bring up both a girl and a boy child alike, you would end up exhibiting differences as per the gender requirements of the child.
“Provide an upbringing that helps the child to develop a better acceptance towards who they are.”
But, the differences in raising a boy child and a girl child are prevalent, it is not a conscious decision.
Boys are very restless, physical, and playful and refuse to sit around for too long whereas girls are very talkative, have greater emotional intelligence and love to sit around and play for too long.
As you would agree, “Girls are after all girls and boys are boys.”
Hence, both must be nurtured and dealt with little differently. But, these small behavioural differences do not account for major differences in upbringing the kids of a different gender.
In this post, you would see in detail if you should raise a girl child differently than a boy child?
Should I raise a girl child differently than a boy child?
Girls have their specific needs and requirements and so do the boys. The nurturing and support from parents often revolve around the likings or preferences of the child.
Parenting in first five years
When your child turns four-year-old or so, your child is aware of the gender he or she carries. There are differences in the emotional and physical development of a girl child as compared to a boy child.
Small girls love to talk and blabber all the time. They love to play with their dolls and like to imitate their moms in doing everything whereas boys tend to be more playful, outgoing and would get involved in physical or masculine activities.
Girls are more verbal and more expressive. They start talking sooner than the boys and are better multitaskers early on. They also have better fine motor skills and listen better. Boys, on the other hand, are always in a playful mood and are less aware of their surroundings. They have higher energy levels, start walking sooner and are more physical.
Bringing up a girl requires a lot more personal involvement of mothers as girls need a lot more emotional nurturing and personal time as compared to boys. With boys, you have to engage them in a lot of physical activity preferably outdoor.
Moreover, you must draw firmer boundaries to discipline boys than the girls. Though the basics of parenting remain the same, the difference lies in channelizing the energies of the kids based on gender and to bring in a discipline in them.
Discipline Concerns
Boys don’t listen as well as the girls do. Disciplining a girl child is far easier than disciplining a boy child at least till teens.
Boys, as you must be aware, are more tactile in nature. They are robust and aggressive through the day. Whereas girls are milder and manageable.
Teen Age
During teens, the parents get more concerned for a girl child due to physical vulnerabilities. The key point that you have to remember is to build trust with them from an early age; this will go a long way in helping your relationship with them in their teens. On the other hand, boys are a lost cause during their teens, and they must be brought back to focus on their careers.
Girls tend to go into depression during their teenage more often as compared to boys, who successfully learn to overcome the challenges of the teenage life. Hence, girls need a lot more emotional and moral support than boys do during the teen years.
Teaching
Girls are better in communication, more attentive and are carefull with their surroundings. Boys tend to hear less and do more. They get distracted easily. This makes it a little tougher to teach them. But this is just in a general sence. Every child is different, and holds different charecteristics.
So, with every phase, the gender differences surface and the child needs to be handled accordingly. As per Dr. Devid Stein, a Ph.D. and a professor of psychology at Virginia State University, the differences of upbringing exist soon after the child is born.
Often, parents talk softly to a girl child and the boys are handled a bit rough. Each child has his or her own individuality. The life of each child unfolds as per the basic nature and innate characteristics of the child. And, more so both the genders are made different and even the brains are also wired differently. Hence, the differences are bound to exist at every stage of life and the same needs to be handled in different ways as parents.