What are little boys made of?
 Frogs and snails and puppy dog's tails.
 That's what little boys are made of! 
 
 What are little girls made of?
 Sugar and spice and all things nice.
 That's what little girls are made of! 

The other day Kenzie went to potty and she stood in front of the toilet and announced: “When I get to be a boy then I’m going to stand up to potty!”

Sounds shocking, I know.

But, if you’ve been following our adventure, you might remember that in my first post on this blog I explained how I had addressed this issue by telling her “Girls sit, boys stand.”

So naturally, I assumed that this little misunderstanding was settled.

I never imagined that she somehow believed that little girls grow up to become boys!

But since she lives in a house where she is the only female, I suppose I can see how she might draw that conclusion in some sort of twisted toddler thinking sort of way!

So, I explained to her that little girls don’t grow up to be little boys, that little girls are awesome and amazing in their own right and grow into beautiful and proud women.

While I was explaining the facts of life to her, I recalled that Mother Goose nursery rhyme that addressed this subject of the differences between boys and girls:

Girls are sugar and spice and boys are frogs and snails and puppy dog tails!

While this nursery rhyme may sound nonsensical, I think Mother Goose had great insight into the distinctions between little boys and girls.

Although I’m no child psychologist, and certainly no Mother Goose, in my experience raising a toddler girl and boy, I have observed some distinct differences in their unique approaches to life.

So, I would like to share with you five differences between little boys and little girls:

1. Boys get over it, girls don’t.

Little boys get over hurt feelings quickly, but little girls don’t get over it as quickly, if ever!

One time after Kenzie got in trouble for some misbehavior, she continued to cry and cry. After awhile I told her to stop crying. It was over. So just stop crying. It’s not necessary anymore. And through her sobs and tears she moaned, “I can’t!”

And I realized, she really can’t.

2. Boys play, girls play with others.

With boys, they have fun by playing with a toy or by playing a game, while little girls have fun by playing with a toy or by playing a game with others.

With little boys, the fun is in the game or toy itself. With little girls, the fun is in the human interaction while playing with the game or toy.

Little girls just want to be with you!

3. Girls boss, boys do what the girls tell them to do.

Yes, guys, it starts early in life. It begins when we’re toddlers. The little girls boss the little boys around and the little boys don’t know what to do except to do what they’re told by the little girls.

The little girls make the rules and the boys follow their rules. That is, the little boys try to follow the girl rules. The problem is, the girl rules keep changing, so the little boys never really get it right! Sound familiar guys?

You’ve probably seen or heard the pronouncement: Girls rule! But they always leave off the other part of that manifesto: Girls rule, because girls make the rules!

4. Boys intimidate, girls manipulate.

Little boys use physical or verbal force to get their way. Pushing, hitting, grabbing, or yelling is their MO.

Little girls are much more sophisticated.

Little girls use persuasion to get their way. Teasing, flirting, and crying are the tools of the trade for little girls. (If you don’t believe me, take a closer look at the picture at the top of this post.)

And I must admit, it’s quite effective and certainly much more so than the little boys’ approach!

5. And finally, probably the most important difference: Girls sit! Boys stand!