Do boys and girls need to be parented differently? No matter what the objective answer to this is, a lot of evidence would point to most parents believing that they do. It is no secret that many moms and dads treat their kids in different ways and even play obvious favorites because of their gender, and this can have some unfortunate consequences. Nobody wants to feel like second best, especially because of factors that they can’t control.

With many parents who have both daughters and sons, any preferences or prejudices they may have can become more pronounced as they become teenagers. The nearer that adulthood gets, the more these opinions get displayed despite the fact that this is such a sensitive time in anybody’s development. It is something that can be a source of tension not just between parents and kids, but also between those who are parenting together and have perspectives that do not align.