as a mother of 7 sons and only 2 daughters, no person on the planet could stand there and tell me there are only MINOR differences between boys and girls!!---

i am not sure if i would laugh myself to death at their false beliefs, or if i would invite them for a week at my house for reconsideration of their opinion..........{ most likely the second option}

miss this place!
PAX, connie

Dorothy Hanna illustrates beautifully the reasons why every parent should refuse to turn their children over to the government for "hands off policy" and "non-indoctrination."

Children need to be taught. They need to develop character. They need to be trained. They need VERY HANDS ON interaction and training. "Hands off policy" doesn't work for training dogs or horses and it certainly does not work for training children.

Boys need men in their lives to affirm them and teach them how to be men.

This philosophy that Dorothy spouts is ruinous to our children. I pray to God that she has no influence or contact with children.

Fortunatly, God is a the dicerner of the heart, and not those that have responded so harshly, to my post.
I was blessed to grow, naturally, among siblings of both sexes, and was blessed to participate in all the adventures and more that I discribed in my original post. God also blessed me with childen, of both sexes. I wrestled with , and prayerfully made the decisions of the daily upbringing of my children. I am happy to report that my children are grown, and are now loving parents themselves. I've been blessed with 8 grankids, of both sexes. All are drug free, and crime free, well spoken, and polite citizens of American society. I, still, recieve compliments on my kids today, as I did throughout their growing up. I also, all along the way of raiseing my children, ran across those who critisized, severly, my method, and thought, concerning their upbringing. The contrast between their children, and my children is simply amazing. Their childrn are drug addicts, and dealers of illegal drugs, alcohalics, some in and out of prison for theft, burglary, shoplifting; they were, and are in gangs, and cults. Many were murdered, or have murdered, and many are dead from an unfortunate set of circumstances that were put in place much earlier in their life. Suicide was the end of some of their lost little lives. I grieve for these little ones that I knew then, that never made it as well as my kids did, some not making it into adulthood. Such a loss. Such an unneccesary loss. If only their parents would have zigged, instead of zagging.
So, you think my philosophy is ruinous, do you? My children graduated two years ahead of their class, and went to college. GPA's 4.0, thank you very much. They never brought homework, as they finished it the day it was asigned. Their I.Q.'s are in the 160's. They were and are polite, and well-behaved in public, as well as private. They write music, and poetry, and play musical instruments as a hobby, as opposed to vidoe games, and watching TV. They are avid readers on a very broad range of topics, as well as their taste in music. They have many skills, and can build a home from the ground up, and make it fully functional, and ready to move in, and set up house. What I am most proud of is their good hearts. They are compassionate, and kind. They are similar in some respects, and they are different in other respects, neither of which has anything to do with their gender.
I'd have to ask the person who spoke of having many children, ONLY, of which two, are girls, concerning these DIFFERENCES in her children that she's attributing to gender: What do you think you might be doing wrong?

Barry,
Who was it that lead you to believe that the govermental schools are HANDS OFF. Indoctrination is a very HANDS ON phenominon.
It is one thing to want a mans influence over a boy, but a man is not enough. It must be a very good man, in order to bring about good results. Little girls need a mans influence also, unless you think a father is not neccesary to a little girls view of men. In which case, for good results, a good mans influence is neccesary.
Anyone who compares raising a child to training a dog, or a horse, I would find lacking in many things.

Constance em,
Nowhere in my original post did I ever say that differences in gender are minor.