Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs’ tails,

That’s what little boys are made of.

Sugar and spice
And everything nice,

That’s what little girls are made of.

A few years ago I asked a friend of mine to share if she thought raising boys is different from raising girls. At the time, my husband and I had not yet decided to have a second child, but I still wondered how different it would be to raise a boy from raising a girl. As you can read in her post, my friend let me know that yes, it is vastly different to raise a boy than it is to raise a girl. But, she explained that it’s not for the reasons you might expect.

When baby boy was born, I distinctly remember saying to my husband, “I had no idea boys would be so sweet!” I was genuinely surprised that my baby boy was just as cute, sweet-smelling, and precious as my baby girl was. I didn’t think I’d have the same feelings of overwhelming cuteness with him as I did when baby girl was an infant. You hear so many things about boys being “little monsters” and little girls being everything “sugar and spice” that it just never dawned on me I’d find my baby boy as cute as my little girl. But, he is, and I love it.

A year into parenting both a girl and a boy, I can say that there are differences, for sure. Some fall in-line with the typical boy behavior I had always heard about, but some are still surprises. I find that my boy is just as sweet as his sister is, and just as stubborn. I laugh at the fact he knows precisely when to turn on the charm – at the exact moment he knows I need him to. My baby boy is cute, loving, cuddly, and full of hugs. Yes, he does tear things down and climb more than his sister did at the age of one, but he always comes back to mami for some snuggles.

Why don’t we hear more of these type of stories when it comes to boys? Instead we hear nursery rhymes such as the one at the top of this post claiming boys are nothing but gross. If you ask my baby girl, she’ll tell you her little brother is “oh so sweet!” Little boys can be everything nice too.

I’d love to hear your stories about raising boys and raising girls! What has surprised you the most about parenting both? Or perhaps you have a story from growing up with sisters and brothers! Share them in the comments below!