Boys will be boys. This simple phrase is generally spoken in conjunction with the roll of a mother's eyes or a father's shrugged shoulders. Expecting boys to be covered in mud, play with trucks and unearth worms is as common as automatically dressing little girls in lavender and pink and donning them with fairy princess crowns and lace.

Have you ever stopped to ponder how the assumption that boys are rowdy and girls are fragile affects your parenting? Have you ever prevented your daughter from playing "too rough" or discouraged your son from nurturing his teddy bear?

It may be surprising to realize that many parents do not have the same set of rules for their opposite sex children. Fathers are often less tolerant of their sons and more lenient with their daughters while some moms often have higher expectations for their daughters than their sons.

Brian Malinowski, a licensed family therapist in Libertyville, Ill., has seen that many parents have the tendency to provide more emotional support and attention to their daughters than their sons. "Most parents seem to feel that boys are, or need to be, more resilient than girls," says Malinowski. "Parents seem more likely to let boys fend for themselves regardless of the parent's gender."

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