Little Boys

I am the proud grandma of two gorgeous, little boys. I would walk on hot coals for them. I’d sacrifice my life for them. They are the two most amazing, little human beings. But they are also a revelation after having two daughters.

Little girls seem so easy by comparison. They sit nicely and play quietly. They don’t like getting dirty. But boys…..oh my. The first thing you notice with boys is their noise level. Everything is accompanied by noise – bang, boom, smash, crash – as they race around at a mad rate being Ben 10, Transformers, Lightning McQueen or – the latest obsession – Banana Man. Next is their obsession with bodily functions. Sentences end in ‘poo pants’ or ‘wee wee’. They furtively poke their noses and then eat the resulting produce. They can’t resist having a bit of a fumble with their tackle. But of all the things that make them different, it’s the violence and aggression that surprise me most. My daughter and I both have a hatred of guns and vowed that the children would not be given toy guns in any form. Well, that was a waste of time. They make Lego guns, swords and missiles. They can convert a cardboard tube from the centre of a kitchen roll into a weapon of mass destruction. They can’t resist kicking and punching things – and this sometimes includes each other.

Now I don’t want you to think that my grandchildren are out of control and utterly mad. This is certainly not the case. I regularly get little notes with ‘I luv you’ written on and get the most amazing cuddles. They are so loving and say the most beautiful things. They are clever and wise beyond their years. But the point I’m making is that boys are most definitely different to girls. 

My experience may not be the same as yours. I am sure that there are boys out there who do not seem to have these traits and some of you might have girls who are noisy and boisterous. It does make me question nature / nurture theories though. Is it possible that boys are just born with the need to pick their noses, not flush the toilet and call their friends ‘Poo Pants’?