Is it nature, nurture, s.ex, or all that determines how children act?

Question

for the last few days i've been watching my friend's daughter and i've noticed many differences between her child and my child. my son is 11 months and her daughter is 9 months. my son is very boyish. he likes to wrestle and for the most part, he's very low maintenance. i can throw him into his play pen or put him somewhere stationary when he's tired and he'll just fall asleep. the little girl is kind of dainty and whines a little more than my son. when its time for her to go to sleep, she needs to be held and the second the person holding her even moves, she's awake. my son was walking pretty well by her age (she's still learning to stand up on her own), but even though she's younger she's waving and clapping which he doesn't do (i read somewhere that different sexes of children are more likely to develop different skills at different times). if my son falls and i pick him up, he only wants to be held briefly before he's off to go break something else. when the little girl falls, she wants to be held and comforted for a while. i've noticed that the girl's mother holds her more and typically lays down with her to get her to take a nap.

i point out all of these differences to ask if our children are so different because of their sexes, the way we've raised them thus far, or were they naturally born with these personalities? when i was pregnant, i thought i'd have a girl, but when people found out that i was having a boy they all said "oh yeah, a boy matches your personality more than a girl" and i have to admit, i love having a child that i don't have to coddle all of the time. for the record, i don't think that either child is better or worse than the other. i just think that my son is better suited for my personality and the little girl is better with her mother.

so when i try to have another child, if its a girl are the chances more likely that she will be like the little girl that i've been watching? or with me being more laid back and not as likely to give in to crying, will she probably be more like my son?

what are your experiences of the different sexes of your children and other children that you've come across?

Answer 1

it's mostly down to parenting, kids imitate and emulate their parents, a lazy slob parent usually get a lazy ignoramous of a kid and so on...

Answer 2

Every kid is different, with the exception of how the child is being raised. Boys can be rough and tough or really gentle and calm, same with girls. I think parents can bring out the best and worst in babies. I have a friend that is always trying to coddle my son because her son is the high maintenance type of kid, but she doesn't understand that if my son doesn't cry then its not that big of a deal to him and he doesn't need adults making him think that every thing that happens is a major deal.

Answer 3

It's how their parents raise them. I know dainty boys and tough girls, it has nothing to do with gender.

Answer 4

we are all individuals which means, we are different. do you have a brother or sister? do you have the same personality as them?

i have 2 daughters, and they are totally different from each other. they grew up together, we are always together, except when they're in school. my eldest is smart, outgoing, bossy and moody. but the second one is shy, quiet, affectionate and thoughtful. my eldest has a straight hair and the second one is curly (she got that from my great grandmother). as i said, we are individuals.

our personalities change and some stays the same. they are influenced by our genes, and the environment. what the parents are like, even what the grandparents and ancestors are like. what they see around them, in their environment and watch on television affects how they act or react to the world them.

i even have 2 sisters and we are totally different from each other, from what foods we like, to what clothes we like to wear.

the most important thing for a parent is love their kids no matter what they look like and no matter what their personalities are. we just have to help our kids to grow up as better person.