Boys vs Girls

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I've always bragged to Zach that I will outlive him since women live longer than men do! Now that I have a son I find the differences between women and men (boys and girls in this case I guess) so interesting. I stumbled across an article in Parents magazine and thought I'd share! And of course I included some pictures of Kye doing the typical boy thing...playing with a ball :)

Girls:

are four times more susceptible to hip dysplasia where the thighbone dislocates from the hip socket
more likely to leak breast milk from their nipples as newborns due to high levels of Mom's estrogen
get more UTIs
twice as likely to get asthma
five times as likely to be born with hemangiomas (raised red spots)
feel pain and discomfort more acutely than boys so are more likely to cry or fuss
produce more of the human-bonding hormone (oxytocin) and the feel-good hormone (serotonin)
less active style of play, stay closer to adults, engage in fantasy and play in small groups
typically master the potty four months earlier (35 months old)
more likely to be fascinated by objects with interesting colors and textures
reach 50% of adult height at 20 months old
at 18 months vocabulary averages 90 words
weight less at birth (average is 7lb 4 oz)

Boys:

are eight times more likely to be born with a hernia
four times as many boys are affected by autism
three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD
more likely to have dyslexia or delayed speech
don't hear as well but are better at determining the location of a sound
explore things more physically yet also have more fluid in their brains to protect their heads from impact
gravitate towards packs of playmates and intense active games that involve lots of running and chasing
weigh 4 ounces more on average at birth (average is 7 lb 8 oz, bigger because women pregnant with a boy typically tend to consume 10% more calories!)
more interested in playing with things that move like toy cars and trucks
reach 50% of adult height at 24 months old (late bloomers)
reach puberty 2 years later and tend to continue growing for an additional three years
at 18 months vocabulary averages 40 words (but catch up to girls by age 3)
have larger area of brain devoted to visual-spatial relation so master advanced movements (aiming a throw, kicking a ball, building towers) at a younger age
master the potty 4 months slower (39 months old)

throwing the ball to Mommy!

I thought this was so interesting! Especially the fact that women pregnant with boys consume more calories!!! Does that mean if I have a baby girl that I won't gain so much weight? That'd be awesome! :) I really feel like that boys have the shorter end of the stick. Girls seem to be healthier and more ahead in life overall. While it makes me happy because I'm a woman, it makes me feel sorry for my son and a little nervous too. The whole autism thing is SO scary! One statistic they missed? Boys are also more likely to be color blind than girls! 1 out of every 20 men are color blind...crazy huh?