“Girls are quieter than boys” and other lies I was told

Back when Pat and I were discussing our ideal family, way before the kids were born, we thought we wanted a boy and girl.  We were thrilled when we found out we were having a son.  Got our boy!  

With our second pregnancy, we knew we would be happy with either gender.  Having Ben was such a delight, I could just picture having another little boy to love.  But I would have been so happy to have a daughter too.  

With twins, well, I have to admit the thought of having two girls was the most daunting combo to us.  One girl, yes, we both wanted a daughter.  But two at once?  Two going through all the less than exciting parts of growing up at the same time?  That was a bit intimidating to us.  

Learning we were, in fact, having two daughters was a little scary at first.  We got over it pretty quickly.  Any gender can have trying parts of childhood.  Two daughters were going to be awesome.  

Then I started hearing all the differences between little girls and little boys.  Honestly, it made having twins sound a lot easier- they were both girls.  Well, I’m going to say it.  

Most of them were lies.

What girl moms know to be true: Lies we are told 

Lie 1: Girls are quieter than boys.

I knew that girls usually talk more than boys.  But I was under the impression that girls didn’t yell and scream as much for no apparent reason.

Not so in this house.

Ben was a relatively quiet baby and early toddler.  He just didn’t make a ton of noises.  I’m pretty sure Ali and Sammy are some of the loudest babies ever.  Seriously.

They aren’t unhappy girls, they are just super loud.  I used to ask people if their girls tended to be louder than their boys, or if their second children were louder.  Nope.  We just have loud babies.

These girls love to yell and squeal and make all kinds of noises.  One of them alone is super loud.  And we have two.  Pat can hear them from outside the house when he gets home in the evening.  (Thank goodness we aren’t in a townhome anymore!)

These ladies have opinions and want them to be heard.  Now that Ben is three he is talking non-stop.  I’m pretty certain I won’t be able to get a word in around my kids in another year or so.

(Update: My twin girls are now 4 and yes, they are still the loudest people ever. EVER.)

Lie 2: Girls don’t get into as much trouble.

We baby proofed with Ben, but not in an obsessive way.  I believe in baby proofing just enough.  By that I mean we take care of real, serious danger.  But some things are left out to learn from. For example- the kids aren’t allowed to play with the tv remotes.  They are out, and we work on learning not to touch certain items.

Ben didn’t really get into stuff though.  He was never interested in outlets.  He didn’t really try to reach up on high shelves and get things.  He ignored cords for the most part.  (This was particularly helpful since he was in an office all day.)   He was pretty mellow.

Ali and Sammy are drawn to outlets like they are candy.  They think cords are chew toys I am meanly keeping from them.  They try to reach and grab anything they see.  These girls tried to eat the edge of the carpet.  Nothing is safe around here.

(Update: The girls’ current favorite activity is jumping off high things. Oh, and they climbed to get up there. Nothing is safe, still.)

Lie 3: Girls are more careful than boys.

I’ve heard that boys are fearless.

When we had Ben I was prepared for bumps and bruises.  I was ready for him to be rough and tumble.  

Now he can be, but overall he is a pretty cautious kid.  He doesn’t like stunts or doing wild things.  He makes sure he is confident with playground equipment before he gets on it.  He always looks before he leaps.

We have two little daredevils in Sammy and Ali.  

These two still fling themselves all over the place.  If we sit with them on the couch they will try to go headfirst over the sides.  Both of them have had bruises and bumps on their heads and faces.  Ali went face first into a toy and got a deep bruise on her cheek (poor baby!), and Sammy headbutted her crib and got a bruise on her forehead.  (I saw it happen, but did not for a second think she would launch herself that hard!)  

Pat and Ben were in the backyard one day and I stepped out to say something to them, leaving the door open.  There is a drop from the door to the porch.  It’s only like six inches, but I thought no way the girls would go out. Nope, both of them just scurried as fast as they could to get outside.  The drop didn’t slow them down for a second.

(Update: These girls still jump and dive and have no fear. Fortunately, my reflexes have gotten faster as a result.)