Boys Are Easier Than Girls?

There seems to be a recurring theme when people find out that I have all boys.  Often the setting is at the store, library, doctor's office, etc. etc. when I'm running errands with my boys.  Incredulously they'll ask, "HOW many boys do you have?".  I'll respond that I have four.  Then they'll usually say something like 'Oh, you're busy' or 'My, you have your hands full'.  But, here's the part that is funny to me, they almost always follow that up with, 'Well, boys are so much easier than girls.'

At this point I usually nod & smile & say, 'Yeah, that's what I've been hearing.'  And I do hear it.  A lot.  As in, at least once or twice a week.  And, it has me wondering.  Are they just offering of form of consolation for the fact that I have all one gender?  Or, is it really true?  Many of the people I've talked to are quite insistent that boys are far easier to raise than girls.

Now I have to admit, I'm not sure I believe them.  Granted, I have no daughters with whom to make a comparison.  But it's hard to imagine.  I see the little girls at church in their flowery dresses, clean faces, and shiny hair.  Even the way their hands touch their parents, or their feet touch the floor seem so...delicate, demure.  Of course, I'm making these observations as I'm attempting to keep my 2 year old from wrestling the 5 year old in the aisle.  And, my 6 year old is slumping so far off his seat he'll soon be under his chair.  Their clothes are rumpled, their hair askew, and their faces are far from clean.

I always imagined myself as a mother to daughters.  In my pre-children days I figured maybe I'd have at least one boy in the mix.  But, I always pictured fixing a little girl's hair, dressing her in adorable outfits, having tranquil moment laying in the grass and observing the clouds.  Instead, I have sons...4 of them.  The cloud of testosterone in our house is so thick you really can see it.

Boys are messy, noisy, so filled with energy that can quickly become out of control unless they are given some outlet.  They are competetive with each other and can easily become angry.  Their arguments can quickly become physical.  With boys everything seems to be in hyperdrive, multiplied by 10.

So, I guess I'm not completely convinced that boys are easier.  But, I know I wouldn't trade my boys for the world.  There are a few other things I'm finding about boys.  They love their mama wholeheartedly.  They are spontaneous with their affection - usually in the form of flowers picked from the field (or my flowerbeds).  They are bright and incredibly curious.  They are imaginative and creative.  And, boys make life so very, very interesting.

Easier?  The jury is still out on that one.  Do they bless me?  Absolutely!