Since ancient times, boys have always been considered the stronger sex. They were believed to be superior in different areas over girls. Well, times have changed and we know there is no truth to this stereotype.
In fact, recent studies show the opposite! As it turns out, baby boys have a lower ability to handle stress than baby girls.
Dr Allan Schore, a clinical psychologist from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) urges everyone to stop treating baby boys as “tough guys” through his scientific work entitled, All Our Sons: The Developmental Neurobiology and Neuroendocrinology of Boys at Risk.
In his article published in the Infant Mental Health journal, Dr Schore explains that baby boys are more fragile than we think and need more affection and love than baby girls.
According to the psychologist, there are noticeable distinctions in the development of male and female brains, even in infancy. Specifically, the right hemisphere of male brains tends to mature at a slower pace than those of their female counterparts.
The part of the brain that is related to how our emotions function also grows slower in males than in females. In addition, baby boys have lower stress-regulating hormones, even while inside their mother’s womb.
Thus, male babies are more susceptible to being influenced by stress factors, whether environmental, physical or social. On the other hand, female babies are born with stronger resistance to these stress factors.
Dr Schore believes that this fragility contributes to the likelihood that baby boys develop neurological and psychological disorders that can appear at an early age, such as autism, early schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder.
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The psychologist also showed that male infants tend to exhibit symptoms of frustration at six months, compared to baby girls. In the case of self-regulation, baby boys will show strong reactions to negative stimuli at one year old.
“In light of the male infant’s slower brain maturation, the secure mother’s attachment-regulating function as a sensitively responsive, interactive affect regulator of his immature right brain in the first year is essential to optimal male socioemotional development,” said Dr Schore.
His advice? Parents should be extra responsive to their baby boys’ needs and not be unabashed about expressing affection or attachment.
On the other hand, despite showing an advantage in resiliency, and being “tough as nails,” Dr Schore does not advise parents to pay less attention to their daughters. In fact, he points out that all children, regardless of sex, need the same affection and touch from their parents.
“The results of this research simply show that differences in the pattern of networks in the brain based on gender, which affect social and emotional functioning, occur early in their lives,” said the psychologist.
We believe that boys and girls are both equally precious and should not be treated more or less based on their gender. Dr Schore’s research did break the notion that women are more fragile than men, but that doesn’t mean there’s a difference in how they should be treated.
So hug your baby boy as much as you want. Don’t tell him to toughen up because boys don’t cry. And at the same time, don’t think that your little girl is made of glass. They’re tougher than you think.
In fact, let’s go ahead and treat our children, regardless of gender, with as much love and affection and smash these gender stereotypes and useless need to put everyone in boxes. We would all be better off without them anyway.
Republished with permission from theAsianparent Indonesia.
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