Strollerderby : boys will be boys

Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

JeanneSager — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:57:00 GMT

When I researched an article for Babble on gender pre-determination awhile back, I heard a laundry list of reasons parents were choosing one sex over the other. This I never heard: "boys are too much trouble." WTF? According to an article in this weekend's Independent, boys in Britain wait twice as long to be adopted.

The London newspaper cites research by the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, surmising, "most people believe that frequent coverage in the media of boys as knife-wielding, cannabis-smoking gang members may fuel the reluctance to adopt them."

A strong believer in nurture over nature, I wonder what prospective parents are planning to do with these children in the years after adoption if these are the thoughts foremost on their minds. Do they not plan on being the sort of involved parent who works to keep their kids off drugs and out of gangs? The sort of parent who teaches their kids about kindness and generosity? The sort who works to raise a law-abiding little citizen?

On the flip side, have they watched any movies lately? Heathers, maybe, or Monster? As the mother of a little girl, I can admit I'm biased, but I look at some of the high school girls walking around the mall and grit my teeth. That, I pledge, will never be my daughter. And if, by some chance, she turns out to be the shoplifting, rabble-rousing, too-much-make-up/too-little-clothes-wearing teenage freak I see all too often (and somehow these British parents have blinded themselves to), she'll be spending a lot more time in her room, "thinking about her actions."

Because, ultimately, parenting has to weigh out. The experts paraphrased in the Independent say parents think girls will be "easier to control." An adult who walks into parenting worried about "control" needs to sit down and re-evaluate whether they really understand what they're about to do. It isn't about who controls who so much as it is how a family unit works together and grows together.

Whether they can help a girl grow into a woman or a boy grow into a man, they need to start on the same page.

Image: Amazon

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Boy Tells 'Your Mom' Joke, Boy Goes to Jail

JeanneSager — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:26:00 GMT

The kid just crossed the line. The twelve-year-old told a seventeen-year-old on his bus that he'd been sleeping with his mom. So the older teen punched him in the face. Come on, who didn't see that coming?

The fight was broken up, but the older boy has now been charged with battery. It's true, violence is never the answer (I swear, I really do believe that) and the age difference here makes for a woefully unfair fight. But didn't these boys see this coming? You don't pick on someone's mom and not end up a bloody pulp.

Since giving birth, I have officially become skeeved by "your mom" jokes. Me + teenage boy = groooooosss. Is it too much to hope that they'll come up with something else to fight about by the time my daughter hits her teen years?

Image: PennState (not the real teens)

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5 reasons it's a good thing I had boys

Brett Singer — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:05:00 GMT

I was going to say, "I'm glad I have boys" but that didn't sound quite right. That is, I would love girl-children just as much as I love my guys. But there are a few ways that having boys has made my life – mine, specifically – a little bit easier.

1. No pink ponies: It doesn't seem like having a Y chromosome should automatically mean that one is interested in superheroes, videogames, and action figures inspired by superheroes and videogames. But experience says otherwise. While there are definitely girls who love trucks and boys who follow the Frasier and Niles Crane path – a love of opera, Broadway and snappy clothing – my guys are way into Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Pokémon, Wii, Playstation 2, and so on. If I had to learn whatever there is to know about My Little Pony, I think my brain would crawl out of my ear.

2. Miley-free zone: Thus far Things 1 and 2 have shown zero interest in Billy Ray Cyrus' little ~~meal ticket~~ girl, which means I can continue to go through life knowing almost nothing about her. Maybe this will change when they get older, but hopefully by then Miley Ray Hannah Montana Stewart Cyrus will have either pulled a Britney Spears and had a meltdown, grown up and started singing jazz standards, or retired to spend her days sitting on a giant pile of cash gazing longingly at Nick Jonas. OK, I guess I sort of know something about her, but that's just from trying to keep up with pop culture. I have nothing against Miley or the Jonases, but not having to listen to their music or attend their concerts is something I will never, ever complain about.

3. No batting of eyelashes: My wife has pointed out many times that if we had had girls, odds are I would be putty in their hands. I wish I could say I disagree but I think she's probably right. Little girls are so cute, and seeing them cry is much more painful than seeing boys cry. I know that's stupid, sexist, and stupid (did I say that one already?). But I've seen, more than once, little girls who lead their dads around by the nose. It's probably best if we never find out whether or not I would join their ranks.

4. Less irrational over-protectiveness: Again, I am fully aware that this is unfair, stupid and sexist. But if I had girl-children, I would be very tempted not to let them leave the house until they were 30. I guess going to school would be OK, as long as they dressed like those Mormon sect people.

5. No High School Musical: When this monstrosity first started airing on the Disney Channel and the CD went to number one, I tried to watch it out of curiosity. I made it through about 15 minutes before I realized that it would probably be more fun to chew glass. The songs are lame, the characters are dull, the story is… Feh. Anyway, the boys seem immune to whatever charms that thing has, and for that, I am grateful.

image: Amazon.com

Strollerderby : boys will be boys

Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

Boy Tells 'Your Mom' Joke, Boy Goes to Jail

From 52 to 48 With Love: When Families are Split Down Political Lines

Saks Fifth Ave Deep Sixes Libby Lu, Tween Girls Weep Rhinestone Tears

Father Can't See His Little Boy, But Can He Give Him His Organs?

Baby Boy Developed in Mom's Intestine Delivered Via Cesarean

Part II: Why Parents of Boys Have It Better (And Why They Don't)

Boy Tells 'Your Mom' Joke, Boy Goes to Jail

5 reasons it's a good thing I had boys

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