Boys or Girls?

[Cyclefrance]

I don't think there can be a general rule. We just have the two boys (now men aged 23 and 27) and it was great bringing them up. Maybe we were lucky in that respect, maybe it's down to the relationship and environment that you build and provide: giving clear guidelines as to what's right and what's wrong, teaching to respect another's property and rights, providing stability, being approachable, knowing when to pull back on advice and criticism and when to give it, practising what you preach, taking an even handed approach and so on, and so on. Not sure what would have happened with girls, hopefully the same. That said the two boys are totally different in their personalities but broadly speaking do share the same outlook on life. We certainly relate to each other now they are older, and enjoy their company without having to insist upon having it. We have friends who have mixes or just girls - in some cases the girls seem to be the easier to handle, in other cases it's the boys. Not knowing the backgrounds of the families or their family life it's difficult to know how much this has contributed to and influenced the way their children have developed.