The November issue of Parents magazine has an interesting article about some of the general differences between boys and girls. I'm so thankful we're swinging back to the common sense notion that boys and girls are different, but equally wonderful. As a mom who's gone out of her way to never pigeon-hole her children into stereotypical roles, but has watched them fall into those roles, anyway, I can tell you - hormones do make matter! Here are some of the facts in the article I found most interesting:

* Infant girls experience more pain than infant boys. Because of this, they may cry more often. However, infant girls also respond better to soothing touches and cuddles. * Girls usually have more oxytocin in their bodies; this hormone helps with bonding, and may explain why girls tend to be "little mommies" with their dolls and younger siblings. When little girls play mommy, the ocytocin in their bodies actually send "feel good" messages to their brain. * Most parents know boys tend to be physical explorers. They bang toys, jump, hit, and run more than many girls. Good thing God gave them more cerebrospinal fluid, which helps protect their heads when they smack them a hundred times a day. * While girls are usually great with their fine motor skills, picking up small crackers, for example, or learning to write sooner than their brothers, boys are usually better at their gross motor skills, often learning to jump and climb before their sisters. * Similarly, advanced movements like kicking a ball are usually accomplished sooner by boys - perhaps because the visual-spacial centers in their brains are larger than girls'. * My girl talks non-stop during the day. My boy hasn't started talking yet. This isn't uncommon; at 18 months, most girls have a vocabulary of at least 90 words, whereas boys in this age group average 40 words. Apparently, girls' brains use the language centers more efficiently.