I have a friend who has two daughters. Over the years I've tried to tell her that raising a son is different than raising a daughter. Usually these "lectures" come right after a comment about a mother being soft on her "little boy." Whenever I tell her that parenting a little boy is definitely different she rolls her eyes at me. "Parenting is parenting!" she says and shrugs her shoulders.

But the truth of the matter is that boys are different than little girls. And I know, cuz I haz one!

If you ask a daughter to pick up laundry off the bedroom floor and put it in the laundry basket the process goes something like this....
Step 1 Use hand to grab laundry item.
Step 2 Raise arm and walk to laundry hamper (note two processes at one time!)
Step 3 Release laundry item into basket.

If you ask a little boy to pick up laundry it's a much more intricate process...
Step 1 Use spacial reference to determine the path the laundry will take to the hamper
Step 2 Find a blanket
Step 3 Spread the blanket on the floor
Step 4 Put imagination into gear
Step 5 Allow arm to become a crane
Step 6 Operate crane to put laundry onto the blanket
Step 7 Look for rope to tie blanket shut
Step 8 Tie blanket shut around laundry
Step 9 Look for additional rope
Step 10 Rig a pulley system to hoist laundry
Step 11 Hoist laundry into air
Step 12 Swing laundry to basket (many attempts may be necessary to get the arc just right)
Step 13 Attempt to untie knot on laundry bag
Step 14 Holler for Mom
Step 15 Watch Mom simply slide the rope off the edge of blanket before turning red and beginning the "you're just now picking up the laundry after I told you two hours ago" lecture.

Never underestimate the creative powers of a boy. This morning I discovered several biscuits missing. Besides knowing that my daughter is out of town, I'm sure it was my son who ate them. I found the cutting board, two different kinds of knives and the meat cleaver... all covered with biscuit crumbs. Don't ask! The meat cleaver has been making regular journeys from the drawer since he discovered it. I'm just not sure why you'd need it for cucumbers, watermelon, biscuits, or strawberries.