Do you think boys and girls are different? No, no I don’t mean anatomically. I’m talking about different in the way they behave. Sometimes when I talk about the things Tyler does, I’ll get the old, “boys will be boys” from his father. In some respects I don’t buy it. Maybe it becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophesy when society makes statements like this. But according to Dr. James Dobson, boys are different and he tells us how, in his book, Bringing Up Boys. I’ve read some of his previous books, including, The Strong-willed Child, and a lot of the literature that his Focus on the Family organization puts out. So, I figured I would see what this book was all about. Many dismiss a lot of Dobson’s teaching becasue he writes from a conservative Christian perspective. I believe everyone has the right to their opinion and it is up to the reader to decide if they agree or not.
His claim is that boys are different in four ways:
(1) Their brains are wired differently.
(2) They play with toys differently.
(3) They engage in wild and crazy behavior.
(4) These differences continue throughout life.
So what’s a parent to do if we end up with one of these wild and crazy boys? According to Dr. Dobson, in his Focus On The Child newsletter, we have to make a commitment to explore and embrace what he calls the Seven Principles for Bringing Up Boys. I’ll tell you what those principles are but first let me tell you a little bit about the four ways he feels boys are different.
Boys are Wired Differently
*****According to Dobson, scientific studies have proven that boys are “hardwired” differently than girls. Based on results from magnetic resonance imaging and PET scans, neurological processes in male and female brains react differently.
*****All embryos are technically female until about seven weeks after conception. At this time testosterone bathes the brains of male embryos which actually alters the brain’s structure. Because of this, boys have a harder time “integrating and articulating what they know, feel and believe“.
*****Testosterone during puberty again influences a boys behavior much in the same way estrogen affects females. Testosterone levels drives males interests in things like car racing, professional football, hockey, guns, prize fighting, etc.
*****Males and females also have different levels of serotonin. Females have more serotonin than males and a lack of serotonin can cause males to exhibit such behaviors as aggression, violence and depression.
*****An almond-sized portion of the brain known as the Amygdala functions as a sort of “emotional computer”. One of its main functions is to remember fearful experiences and react to new situations. In males, the Amygdala is larger than in females and when mixed with high levels of testosterone and low levels of serotonin, the result is a male who reacts without thinking.
Part two continues with more differences.