Boys!!

Dear Gransnet will you allow a grandpapa to edit your thoughts together just as you said them? Am I lucky or what? In the last 24 hours I have hugged 5 out of my 6 grandchildren.(3 boys 3 girls) One is in Japan.

I do like reading Gransnet. Grandmas who are never biased (are they?) are certainly direct in their beliefs when comparing boys and girls But what happened to the sisterhood Gransnet? Quote ...

Boys hurl themselves around and are very loud - and my umbrella stand with a selection of sticks and crutches is like a magnet to them - they run around "machine-gunning" each other with them!

Girls communicate with words, boys with actions.

Girls bitch for ages, boys thump each other and forget it!!
My grandson never stops moving and at bedtime moves faster and louder.

Grand-daughter has been throwing herself around all afternoon, doing somersaults, handstands, - look at this.

My two grandsons came for bonfire night. One is 16 the other 12. Still kicking each other under the table. What is it about boys fireworks and fire!!!!????

The farting is appalling at times!

I only had daughters and the arrival of grandsons came as a shock!!

With no prompting, any available item is a gun. They rough and tumble are loud and rumbuctious . The word 'bum' or ' fart' can have them rolling on the floor in fits of giggles.

Our eldest grandchild is a girl, a dainty little girl. Then the Boy arrived! So different to the girls, such a wonderful thumping great noisy child. Out of the blue he will decide to be a fire engine, sirens going full blast. His favourite words are bum, fart and poo. He loves rough play and we can only go so far before we are shattered.

Boys! mine spent much of their early years exploding and fighting dark forces, or acting out disastrous train journeys with Thomas and Gordon these invariably ended up with derailments of the engines and carriages in ditches, only Bertie the Bus remained unscathed. I blame The Reverend Awdry.

I have always loved the boisterousness of boys - I can identify with them in a way that I can't with girls
For several years I taught 14 to 16 year olds who had been excluded from school for behavioural problems, and believe me I'd much rather have naughty boys than girls. With most boys what you see is what you get and they will let you know how they feel quite clearly: girls on the other hand can be much more subtle and manipulative.

As a teacher I have to say boys are easier than girls in the long run. What you see is what you get with boys. They are usually very loyal and affectionate. On the other hand girls can be bitchy and underhand. It has to be down to their hormones. I blame testosterone and Oestrogen …boys have a lot more fun and they don't see the need to scream non stop while they are having it!"

A wonderful read Gransnet. Oh Happy Daze Gpapa

We had 2 kids, one of each, and now have two grandchildren, one of each. My observation would be that boys and girls are most certainly different, neither better than the other, just different and that difference brings a whole heap of pleasure and of course challenges :-)

I'm with you oldgoose. We sometimes wonder why our children didn't behave as badly as we sometimes see these days. Discussing it with DS yesterday as we watched a tiny terror embarrassing his family in public, DS said that the situation simply didn't arise for him and DD when children. It wouldn't have crossed their minds that it would have been tolerated. No smacking or anything like that just no means no and it always did.

This will get some haters, and bad comments but my husband and myself never allowed our son to rush around, especially in other people's houses, and we also did not allow him to be boisterous just because they are males and 'boys will be boys'. He could do what he liked playing outside, but not indoors and my daughter has brought her own son up in the same way.
I visit a friend of mine, who's grandsons come in, jump all over her, fight each other, and grab whatever is available to hurl at each other. My friend and her daughter think it's all hilarious fun. I don't think it is. Children, whatever their sex should learn respect for other people and their property.
A lot of people think it's fun for kids and for their 'freedom to be themselves' to dash around like this, but I think it's just bad manners, and bad parenting. Sorry.

I had two girls who I had to bring up from quite young on my own. My two girls have grown up to be adults I'm proud of and they have given me 3 grandsons. I adore those boys, enjoy their company and we get on well. However I'm glad it was girls I had to bring up because boys need their dads or a strong male figure in their lives and I observe my girls having to be a different, more physical parent than I was. Not punishment wise I hasten to add - but getting them out to bike, play football, run off their energy. I also observe how important it is for the boys to have their dads in their lives as role models for how to manage that physicality and enjoy boy things with.

I had one of each and as a teacher I have to say boys are easier than girls in the long run. What you see is what you get with boys. They are usually very loyal and affectionate. On the other hand girls can be bitchy and underhand. Of course don't attack me for generalising but this is my experience and of course I accept that all children are individuals and equally appealing.

We picked GS up from school last week and he came out of class with a girl who we know quite well as they have always been good friends. We passed some new playground equipment they had installed and I asked her if she'd had a chance to try it out. "Yes", she said, "our class went on it today, but the boys were being very silly so we girls went off and did something else." Then this nine year old said "It's a scientific fact that boys mature two years later than girls, you know!" I don't know how I kept a straight face! When we had parted company, GS tugged my sleeve and said "Nanny, is that right, what F said?" "Oh yes", I said, "but boys have a lot more fun!” I should have added "And they don't see the need to scream non stop while they are having it!"

My DS was not particularly boisterous. But managed to get reprimanded a lot of the time at school. He was very easily distracted if something interesting came up. He was certainly quite a nuisance in a class but didn't often think before he acted. Generally he is now a very decent guy.

DD was a happy gentle soul who tripped happily though school without causing much trouble and she would use her brain when she tried.
Despite the current wisdom of the feminist thinking in the late 70s that boy girl behaviour was down to upbringing. I found my two were both very different at the time. It has to be down to their hormones. Blame testosterone and Oestrogen.

I have two boys and they were and still are wonderful. For several years I taught 14 to 16 year olds who had been excluded from school for behavioural problems, and believe me I'd much rather have naughty boys than girls. With most boys what you see is what you get and they will let you know how they feel quite clearly: girls on the other hand can be much more subtle and manipulative.

Five sons! - phew!

I was beginning to think my GS (9) was quietening down a bit until we went to a bonfire with him and his parents last night and saw him together with some of his school friends chasing around like a pack of wild things! DS was the same at his age. I have always loved the boisterousness of boys - I can identify with them in a way that I can't with girls. I have to agree with kitty!

I had five sons in nine and a quarter years. No wonder I was worn out! Lots of fun, laughter and noise though!!

The tyke in our family was DD. DS was a quiet and introspective child. Mind you, now he has children everything has reverted to normal. DGD is the gentle one and DGS the loud and noisy one

Boys! mine spent much of their early years exploding and fighting dark forces, or acting out disastrous train journeys with Thomas and Gordon these invariably ended up with derailments of the engines and carriages in ditches, only Bertie the Bus remained unscathed. I blame The Reverend Awdry.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ODRbw69vs

There's a lot of truth in this

Oh, I know! We had 2 daughters. They weren't particularly girly girls. To us they were the world, the norm. Our eldest grandchild is a girl, a dainty little girl. Then The Boy arrived! So different to the girls, such a wonderful thumping great noisy child. Out of the blue he will decide to be a fire engine, sirens going full blast. His favourite words are bum, fart and poo. He loves rough play and we can only go so far before we are shattered. He has a caring side too, adores his girl cousins. He is indeed a revelation

I had one of each. As different as chalk and cheese. I have one GD and 3 GS's all of them different one from the other. The youngest GS has just had his 4th birthday, and this afternoon has been asking his mum about molecules and atoms. I think we have a physicist in the making.

One girl, one boy but 2 GDs and 4 GSs.all individuals and so different. Best friend with eldest GD, struggle to relate to youngest 2 GSs now 7&5 but that is age, theirs and mine.

I only had daughters and the arrival of grandsons came as a shock!!

With no prompting, any available item is a gun. They rough and tumble are loud and rumbuctious . The word 'bum' or ' fart' can have them rolling on the floor in fits of giggles .

They were raised exactly as our only Grandaughter who is totally befuddled by the actions of the boys .

I love them all equally but I'm often befuddled too

and the farting is appalling at times!

Yes my two grandsons came for bonfire night. One is 16 the other 12. Still kicking each other under the table. What is it about boys fireworks and fire!!!!????

DGD has been throwing herself around all afternoon, doing somersaults, handstands, - look at this!! etc

I do of course love them to bits!

Definitely my GS never stops moving and at bedtime moves faster and louder.

Which I found to be bonus when they get to be a bit older. Girls bitch for ages, boys thump each other and forget it!! Much less stressful.