Vacation Fun

My husband and I just got back from taking our two sons, and his daughter to the Alabama coast for a long weekend of fun.  It started off great.  I made a promise to myself and my husband that I was going to TRY (pay attention to that word -- it's important) to not yell at the children much.  Remember that word "try"?  Well, let's just say that some moments required more "trying" than others because the children were more "trying" at times than others.

I succeeded, which is a small miracle in itself.  We all had fun.  We went to the pool and the beach, we took the daughter shopping, we saw and toured a battleship and submarine, and we even rode a ferry.  We came back tired and sunburned, but I think that is a rule of vacations.  You MUST come back tired and sunburned or it wasn't a good vacation.  No one wanted to come back, so I take that as a good sign.

However, I learned a lot on this trip.  Not just about battleships and submarines, or to remember to put sunblock on your shoulders as well as your arms and legs (painful lesson learned).  I learned about the differences between boys and girls -- other than the obvious.

1.  Boys are messier.  You would think that as a pre-teen girl, H would have wardrobe calamities, or accessories tossed hither, thither, and yon, and just be a complete tornado.  Let me tell you, she was the NEAT one.  Yes, there was a little mess on her side of the room, but that was due more to lack of space than her.  The boys, on the other hand, covered the bathroom floor in dirty clothes (poor H had to step on them to take her showers).  I'm used to the mess at home.  After all, it only took 30 seconds after our return for the carpet in their bedroom to be covered in toys, clothes, shoes, and other things I'm scared to look at too closely.

2.  Boys are louder.  Again, you would think that a pre-teen girl would squeal and giggle and make all manner of noise to get her dad's attention.  Nope.  She was quiet, polite, and waited her turn to speak.  The boys?  Wouldn't / Couldn't be quiet if they were unconscious.  I swear they are even noisy asleep.  Seriously.  Z talks in his sleep (usually yelling at M to leave him alone), and M snores.

3.  Girls are more polite.  I know, this one is obvious.  But after the boys burping, snorting, yelling, and making other various noisy I don't even like to think about, H's politeness and good manners were SO appreciated.  She evens knows what to do with a napkin!!!!!

4.  Girls are cleaner.  She combed her hair.  Voluntarily.  We have to chase down the boys.  Her face was always clean.  The boys get dirt on their faces climbing out of the bathtub.  Her clothes were always neat.  The boys?  Let's not even think about it.

Yes, I have discovered many differences between boys and girls.  I'm sure most of you know these already.  I  actually KNEW them, it was SEEING them that was so amazing.  Startling, really.  It makes me realize what I'm missing having just boys.  NOT enough to make me think of trying to have a third child.  Nope.  Uh-Uh.  No way.  Not happening, unless God Himself decides it.  But it's nice having her around.  She helps even out the testosterone level at my house.  And she even sides with ME sometimes.