I cannot say that I exactly know all about raising a girl because I do not have one. However, I have sisters, and I have several nieces and great-nieces and I am one myself, after all. I know a thing or two about girls. What I do know is that boys are quite different. Take for instance when I was going to pick up my niece to go shopping. Mind you, she was only 5 years old. Her mother told her that she needed to get ready because I was coming to pick her up. She responded with, “I cannot wear these rags, they are not even ironed.” Wow. I do not know what I would have said to my girl if I had one with a statement like that. I am totally not used to that. Most boys do not really care what they wear or even if they wear anything at all! Girls have that preciseness about them, I think. Most girls do anyway. They have to have things just so. Most boys have a “whatever” attitude about them. Most tend to go with the flow. Why is the female species this way? Do not get me wrong. Girls are great, but why are we so different from them? What causes us to be this way? It is almost like we care too much. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
I taught my child not to lie from the get-go. No matter what you should never lie. You should just be truthful and if you are wrong you will have to suffer the consequences. Did I make a mistake in doing this? He tells me everything, I mean everything. There are things that I would just not care to hear about, but I have to listen, to an extent. Sometimes I just put my hand up and say, “Whoa, stop right there. I do not want to hear anymore.” I am glad that he is truthful, but sometimes there is such a thing as being too truthful or maybe just revealing too much of what is going on in your mind.
Boys are real. They are the real deal. They pull no punches, they say yes, when they mean yes and no, when they mean no. There is no beating around the bush, just factual information. Their words are harsh sometimes, but some do not know any better way of saying what they have to say. The female species tend to talk in riddles and confuse the male species. This has been a problem for centuries, as everyone knows that males are not good about picking up hints or interpreting them correctly if they do happen to pick up on a hint.
Living life with a boy has taught me many things. It has taught me that maybe the things that I tend to be over dramatic about are really not that big a deal. It has taught me to loosen up and just enjoy what is and to stop worrying about things that are really not too important. It has been an experience.
Angel Lynn writes in weight loss, single parenting, and health