On Educating Boys

I suppose it's *just* me, having all boys and maybe a bit of a bias toward my children in most situations. But it seems to me that almost anywhere you go, girls are more valued and praised, especially when they're in the younger grades.

How often do strangers gush over your five-year-old boy's Spiderman or Bibleman shirt? Or ask your child whether the dirt stain came WITH the trucks on his pants or was added later for a bit of authenticity? Ok, not as often as they'll gush over a little girl's hairbows or matching shoes and purse.

And there are big compliments for nice, quiet girls. Noisy little boys who "bother their neighbour" during library story time are frowned upon. In school, teachers will get the boy into trouble far more often than the girl in almost every circumstance. I can think of a particular series of "difficulties" we had with Patrick's teachers throughout grade school. The little girls would very quietly whisper and giggle about him, or give "looks." Patrick will do something like directly walking up to the offender and saying something along the lines of, "I'm not afraid of YOU, fat girl." Guess which kid would get into trouble?

To my mind, the girl should have gotten into WAY more trouble for instigating the whole matter. Not that it's Christlike to call the girl in question "fat" (hey, we're supposed to only speak the truth when it's in LOVE *kiss kiss*), but I feel that he was goaded into the whole situation time and again.

But the wisdom at our local elementary school, according to the children, is the following:

"Girls go to college to get more knowledge.
Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider."

Yes, this is the same place that brought you the "Scooby Dooby Doo pooped in a shoe" rhyme, so maybe I'm a bit oversensitive. But it does seem that educators, librarians, Sunday school teachers and assorted other adults are not as welcoming to boys. I'm trying to teach my younger sons at home and not get as hepped up about them jumping about while learning to read and write. I do ask that we are seated with sharp pencils though. :]