It must be programmed in a boy's head to play rough

[littlemommy]

My 17 month old son plays so nice with the 2 year old girls I have. As soon as I started watching a 2 year old boy, DS instantly wanted to play rough with him. This was the first boy he's really played with.

I just started a 9 month old boy, and DS wants to tackle, hug (roughly!) and roll on. It's tough to keep him away from the little guy.

I'm convinced that it is programmed into their brains. In a psychology class I took in college we talked about how "motherly" instincts are just that, instincts. As for boys, they instinctively know to be fighters and protectors, and they start exhibiting that behavior very young. I just wish it wouldn't look like my kid is being a bully!!

[DBug]

I totally agree! And they say girls and women are the touchy-feelly ones!

In our house the rule is that nobody wrestles unless Daddy is wresting with you ... but that doesn't always stop the boys from trying.

They just seem to have this insatiable need to tackle each other, trip each other, body slam each other ... oi!

I did a Friday night program for pre-teens (ages 11-13) for a couple of years and our number 1 difficulty was getting the boys to stop attacking each other. If we were trying to explain the rules of a game, they'd be poking each other, swatting each other on the back of the head, etc., etc. It made it incredibly frustrating.

However, now I understand why football and hockey are such physical sports -- they're an excuse for grown men to rough house ::

[sharlan]

Two years ago, I would not have agreed with you. Today I do.

I always had 1 boy at a time, mostly had girls. Now I have the 2 grandsons (just turned 3 and 4) and they are so rough. Everything I tried to calm them down failed. I have NEVER had so much kicking, hitting, biting in my life. They cannot be left alone in a room for 30 secs. We had to seperate them by sending them to preschool 2 days a week, on seperate days.

[TBird]

They are definitely born with it. I always thought that my son might be "girly" because I had a daughter first...BOY was I wrong!!! He was instantly rough & tumble, had no interest in Barbies or girl toys and the one time that I did catch him playing with a Barbie he had a toy SHARK swallowing her head!!!:: It's like his brain is programmed for aggression and my daughter's brain is programmed for pretty. It's actually amazing if you think about it....

[jojosmommy]

My son went through a phase like that around 18 months. I thought all the dcp would think I had a mean one and tolerated rough behavior but now he is a little over two and insists on giving everyone a kiss before they leave daycare. He is also the first to pat their back and say "it's ok, it's ok it's ok." He also loves dolls and plays with the girls here quite well. When he is around other rough and tumble boys (I have one dck like this) he will wrestle and rough house if encouraged by that other child. I think it's somewhat innnate but also a phase/growth period. Good luck- I wanted to rip my hair out when he was like that- now he is back to sweet, calm, gentle LO he was.

[littlemommy]

My son went through a phase like that around 18 months. I thought all the dcp would think I had a mean one and tolerated rough behavior but now he is a little over two and insists on giving everyone a kiss before they leave daycare. He is also the first to pat their back and say "it's ok, it's ok it's ok." He also loves dolls and plays with the girls here quite well. When he is around other rough and tumble boys (I have one dck like this) he will wrestle and rough house if encouraged by that other child. I think it's somewhat innnate but also a phase/growth period. Good luck- I wanted to rip my hair out when he was like that- now he is back to sweet, calm, gentle LO he was.

I hope it is just a stage. He will have a baby brother or sister within days of his 2nd birthday, so that has me a bit worried! I hope I can keep up with him during this pregnancy. He's a climber, loves to scatter EVERYTHING he can through the house, play rough, and yell (happily.)