Raising Boys and Girls

Y’all, my sister is having a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy for her family! Especially for Tillman. He is going to make an awesome big brother! See? His shirt even says so!

Thinking about Ginny’s family this weekend has made me stop and think about my own kids. Raising a girl and a boy is very different.

• Potty training girls is easier than potty training boys.
• They use physical touch differently.  Bean shows physical affection very roughly and usually through playing.  Gracie shows physical affection by snuggling up and getting in your personal space.
• Bean is much more laid back, while Gracie is much more high strung (though I attribute this to birth order, too).

One of the differences that I have noticed between Bean and Gracie, though, is using imaginary play.  I am not sure if it is a gender difference or an age difference, but Bean uses imaginary play more for creating worlds and scenarios, while Gracie uses imaginary play to mimic real life.  I remember Bean doing this more often when he was Gracie’s age, but she definitely does it to a much further degree than he ever did.

Gracie is never happier than when she has her baby doll in a stroller, her purse on her shoulder and a cell phone on her ear.

Her favorite thing in the world right now is her kitchen. She makes us food all the time. Usually waffles and ice cream. I think she might be on to something.

We moved her little kitchen into the real kitchen a while ago, and it has been a big hit. She loves cooking while I’m cooking. She brings me things she’s made for me to try and I give her little bites of what I’ve made to try. She thinks she’s so big when she’s cooking with me!

I let her rummage through all my drawers and cabinets, too. She uses my measuring cups, mixing bowls, plates, spoons, wooden spatulas, and Tupperware. Oh, the Tupperware! I’ve lost half of it since she has become a little chef. But Tupperware is easy to replace. Memories like this with Gracie are not.

(Don’t judge my utensil drawer. It looks like a mess, but I know where everything is! I promise!)

Gracie might even become a food blogger!

Sometimes, Gracie plays with Michael’s superheroes. The other day, she came running into the kitchen wearing a pirate eye patch over her eye, carrying Captain Hook’s plastic hook and with a foam sword stuck into one of the belt loops on her shorts. She told me to “walk da plank.” Other times, Bean can be found in Gracie’s room, surrounded by pink princesses while they play in her Cinderella castle. Little people are not so much different than big people, really. They need balance in their lives, and I’m so glad that Bean and Gracie have each other to give that balance to their sibling.

I’m so happy for my sister. Any baby is a perfect baby. But one of each is an extra special blessing for the entire family!