Let's Celebrate our Differences.

 I have often wondered, "Is there a REAL reason why my mind seems to function and think WAY differently than a guy's brain? What is with that?! Am I just going crazy, or is it a REAL thing?"

I've thought of this often because I have lived a large portion of my life very closely to a twin brother. And let me tell you, I learned from a VERY early age that we are NOT the same. He always did and liked things that I didn't ever understand (and STILL don't haha). I remember always being so confused about why he acted, thought, and handled situations a certain way. It never made sense to me! I was often critical of him because I didn't understand our differences. However, even with all that, we seemed (and still seem) to balance out really well! I took on ALL the anxiety for both of us growing up, and he calmed me down/balanced out haha. We were able to help each other out and talk through certain situations (Ex: When "Sarah" says that, does that mean she likes me? and vise versa). Overall, being a twin has taught me why BOTH genders are so crucial and needed. I have SEEN how having that difference is not only beneficial, but often essential in order to fully understand certain ideas and situations. And being intrigued with this, I have been very curious to learn more about these differences.

Here is what I learned with a Male brain vs. Female brain:

If you were to take a look inside both brains, you would see some very obvious and interesting differences. A female's brain literally looks like a bunch of spaghetti noodles. EVERYTHING is connected to EVERYTHING, and everything TOUCHES everything. And there is A LOT going on all the time. There is more "white matter" in the brain: very aware of surroundings. Most women experience what it's like to notice the "smaller details" and that all things connected multiple situations. On the other hand, a male's brain looks like a bunch of boxes. But let me be very clear, that these boxes DON'T touch (Not everything is connected like in a female's brain). There is a box for everything: a work box, kids box, hunger box etc, and even a nothing box! Did you know that males have a "nothing box?!" where they can have literally nothing on their mind?! Have you ever seen that?! I want that one! Another interesting observation is that male's tend to be myopic: focused on ONE thing at a time vs the female brain that usually has multiple ideas/thoughts running through her mind at a time.

How AMAZING is it that both genders cover different territories? They are both specialists in their roles. A female covers one territory and a male covers another. But when BOTH are brought together, specifically in a family home setting, they cover so much MORE territory. How beautiful is that? SO, how BRILLIANT would it be to have BOTH brains in the home?! Not only do you learn valuable prinicples from each other, but SO much more is available for the children in a family when a mother and father are in the home together.

However, I am NOT saying that these differences are permanent or stuck to only a certain gender. Both a male and female can possess characteristics that are often developed in the other gender. These are just observations that have been researched and commonly observed among both genders.

Here is one other idea that I learned that helps to give us more perspective on each gender. There are unique tendencies that males and females commonly have:

Males: more physical, violence/aggression, spacial orientation, boy babies usually focus their attention on objects, language is developed later, "fix it" mindset, "boys don't cry" stigma etc.

Females: Social, relation orientation (noticing the little things/detail oriented), baby girls often look at faces, language is developed early on (babies start moving lips with parent), develop social skills and communicate needs sooner etc.

This goes to show that not only are there differences seen within the brain, but also the tendencies/characteristics of each gender. These observations suggest that there really ARE some biological and social/physical differences between them.

Something interesting that was shared by a psychologist (in one of the videos I viewed this week) was:"Saying that men and women have different aptitudes isn't sexism. It's actually a statement about the true nature of the world....if we keep saying that those differences in what men and women CHOOSE to do are because of sexism, nobody's going to end up happy with what they're doing, and we're going to keep making laws to REMEDY what's actually the result of freedom."

And that leads us to ask the question: "What is the influence of gender upon one's family roles and experiences? 

I was talking with my roommate, recently, about how VITAL it has been for us to have both a mom and dad in our lives growing up. There is SO much that goes into the development of a child. And often so much development is unseen from an outside perspective. But knowing WHY the structure behind the "traditional family" and what research has proven overall about the positive effects that both a mother and father have in the home, solidifies that both genders have an impact on the family environment. Both are crucial in the development of the family as a whole. And we need their differences.

"We have often unrealized capacities built into us." There is a divine reason WHY we were created differently. Whether we realize that fully or not. The roles of the male and female are both beautiful and compatible. And the best thing we can do is to find ways to celebrate our differences.