Little Girl vs Little Boys

I think it is personality as much as gender. My son (almost 6) is a real handful and always has been--always full of energy, talks non-stop, always wants to be around people and huge fits (getting better now though). My daughter, 3, is more quiet and easy going she has her moments but at least she can play by herself for a while. My friend has a girl who is more like my son.

Parenting books with "strong willed," "difficult" or "defiant" in the title may be of some help.

In my experience with both raising and caring for children little girls can be, just as little boys can be, very intense. My daughter who is 8 is an extremely intense and emotional being. I love her dearly but there are time when I've got to throw my hands up because I do not know what to do with her.

I have 5 yo twin girls and one is EASY and the other, well.... NOT SO MUCH!! I suggest the book 1-2-3 Magic ... it has worked wonders for us.

Nah, its not a gender thing.
I have a boy and girl.
But girls are "emotional." But it also depends greatly on: age and personality.

Both my kids can be intense. But it is also per age. My daughter is 9 now and is more able to manage her moods.
My son, who is 5... has his typical fits, per his age. I tell my daughter SHE was like that too, at that age. But by now, since she is 9... she and we have mostly forgotten about those tirades, when she was that age too.

Oh you are screeeewwwweed. My girls were angels when my boys weren't. It wasn't until the teen years that I realized how wonderful boys are.

That would be about when the girl's personalities turned south.:(

I am sooooo sorry.

Sometimes little girls are intense, but I have a feeling that it is more about being the youngest child and her wanting to hang with the big boys. They "hang the moon" to her and she wants to be just like them.

I grew up with all girls, and I have 2 boys. One child is serious and intense, and one easy going. Yep, such different personalities to grow up in the same house! They are close together in age though, so it's a little different than your group.

It's a lot of work, handling this. I have a friend with 3 boys and 1 girl, and she deals with this too. Her little girl would have the worst tantrums! But she handles her over and over, and the little girl is growing out of the tantrums. You do the same, be consistent, and try to let her do physical stuff as much as possible. Perhaps gymnastics would be good for her. At some point she might actually want to have a tea party with you when her feminine little side comes out!

Dawn

I have two girls, 8 and 6. My 8 year old is very intense, easy to tantrum when things don't go her way. My 6 year old is very laid back, nothing phases her. It's not girls. It just depends on the personality of the child.

My most intense is my youngest daughter-2 1/2! Woah, holy tornadoes. Her older sister was a sweet, easy toddler, now she's a sweet, easy 5 year old, her older brother (4) is stubborn and very spirited (but very good now thanks to discipline) and SHE HAS ALWAYS been WAY more difficult than both of them put together, and started YOUNGER. Both of them started typical fits and rebellion around 18 months, she started at 9 months! She's been disciplined way longer than them, and remains difficult in some areas they put up no resistance for, but she's way ahead of the game and better than most 2 year olds-I get compliments all the time, but PHEW it has been no cake walk. She used to terrorize her brother especially. eeeeek.

She's that kid strangers look at and say, "She's your trouble maker, huh?" Even if she's just sitting there. They can see it in her eyes. She's a little outlaw. She's super upset-able, but she does control her tantrums because we don't allow that. That's what has needed most discipline, and now she doesn't do it. She "gets mad" but does not escalate into a fit if warned.

Nope it's not gender. It's indvidual personality, I have 2 girls and a baby boy. The girls are really good. Able to play on their own for a long time, they color and paint and play dolls nicely. They can also get rambuncitous, believe me. But for ex, they had 2 friends over today from their classes (they're 4 and 5) and the 4 girls all played so nicely it was a complete breeze. I barely had to supervise them. They played dressup, they had a tea party, they played dolls. Get your little girl a playmate her age :-)

As you see with your boys, girls also have various personalities. I think sometimes the baby of the family will be the "mess" of the group, both in personality and physically. Sometimes they don't get as much discipline because they are so stinkin' cute and we can't resist them when they are little. But, as they get bigger, they become somewhat of a nightmare and aren't so cute anymore. Maybe she just needs boundaries. She will undoubtedly become more refined as she ages, as long as you teach her to be. :) Enjoy!!

Sounds like your 3 year old is just like my SON.

I think birth order plays a bigger role than gender. Many moms have told me that each of their children was a little more "challenging" then the one before. I have 2 girls, and the 2nd is definitely more demanding and stubborn and not as easy as my oldest.

Not all of them. I know boys that are just as in your face as some girls. And girls that can play calmly for an hour with dolls and playdough and not bother anybody. I think it's the luck of the genetics. I have also noticed that my DD (who is 3) is huge into doing "big kid things" so she wants to do more than she can. It may be that your daughter's personality is turned up an extra notch plus this phase.

It doesn't sound like a gender issue. Sounds more like a first born vs. the baby of the family. My oldest daughter is very easy going, a self starter, works hard and my youngest daughter is more stubborn, but still a hard worker and gets good grades but tends to be more moody, temper, etc. Just make sure you are consistent on sticking to your guns and follow through on any punishment you threaten. No two are alike!

A friend of mine has 3 girls - the older 2 were pretty compliant when it came to listening to mom, cooperating, etc. The younger one is "the spitfire". One time they had their mom in tears because she just wanted to get some nice pics of them on the beach one day and while the older 2 were more than happy to smile and pose, the youngest just wanted to throw sand, not hold still, etc. (they were 4, 8, and 11) at the time. And it wasn't just their ages, they have all been like that at every age. But part of the issue might be that the 2 older sisters were always trying to tell the youngest what to do, and while not really being mean, but always kinda picking at her, and correcting her, so she tended to get even more rebellious. I've known a lot of emotionally intense boys too. So some of it might be her temperment, and some might be the dynamic between her and her older brothers, and the frustration of not being able to always keep up with them.