Family Forum: Boys vs. Girls

Family Forum is the new name of our previously named Moms Talk column. This is a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to local families.

Also, this new forum will allow you to reach out to your neighbors as well as we share comments and information with Sayville, Sachem, Bayport, Blue Point and Patchogue. We invite you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for families.

Each week in Family Forum, our council of experts take your questions, give advice and share solutions. If you are interested in joining our council, email Denise@patch.com.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Family Forum will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about the Tucson shootings? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today. Please tell us your opinion in the comments section below. 

Today’s question: In your opinion - are boys or girls easier to raise?

Debbie Bacon: Is this a trick question? I hear all this hoopla about boys being wild, crazy, and out-of-control. To be honest, I think the same can be said for girls. Since I only have little ladies, I sometimes yearn for a child that will not have mood swings once-a-month or leave their bras on the bathroom floor. I think that if one of them were a boy (but believe me, I love my girls!), things around the Bacon household would run a little smoother. Girls are only easier, for me, in the sense that I know what to do with them. I am one. I have been shaving, plucking, and manicuring for decades. I can argue with the best of them. I gave my mother a run for her money, back in the day, but we are closer than ever now. I just hope that when my girls hate me in their latter teenage years, they grow to love me more when they are adults.

Sharon Boyle: I vote for raising boys – less drama!

Johan Fernandez - Boys vs. Girls has been the topic of conversation in my home lately! My husband and I have an 8-year-old daughter and a 16 month-old son. We used to get so annoyed to hear people say: “Boys are so different” or “He is such a boy.” But now that we have a boy, we see what people meant. Our daughter, although silly at times, is pretty laid back and just goes with the flow. Our son is completely different. We call him the “human tornado.” We cannot take our eyes off of him. Earlier today, he emptied the items in my beach bag into the toilet. While I cleaned up the bathroom, he ran to the kitchen and emptied out one of my kitchen cabinets. As I cleaned that up, he figured out how to push the gate on the steps open and went up to his sisters’ room. It all happened so quickly!

Raising kids is an experience that will test a mother and father’s patience. We love our kids and we know that all the stages come in waves.