Boy-Girl Combination Found Lacking by Study

A British study found that having two girls is the optimal family arrangement, beating out one girl and one boy.

According to a Mommy Files story on the study, "two girls are rarely noisy, help around the house, and play together nicely."

But the one-each situation isn't too bad: "One boy and one girl, which many people assume is the ideal situation, was the second-best combination. Nearly 90 percent of parents with one of each said their children were true friends and fights between the two are rare."

So far, we've had a pretty wonderful experience with one of each. The big shock has been how sweet Elliot has been to his sister. Occasionally he roughhouses a little too close to Alice, but most of the time he's gentle. He'll even give her kisses, hold her hand and nuzzle her. And while we aren't promoting gender roles — this is Berkeley — it will be nice for Alice to have a big brother to protect her.

But back to the study. Here's the twist: Having four girls is the absolute WORST situation — below four boys even (hard to imagine). From Mommy Files: "Four girls fight and argue all the time, ignore each other, and are difficult to put to bed. Parents of four girls said that they deal with an average of four fights or arguments a day."

Here's the full lineup:

"BEST" TO "WORST" COMBINATIONS OF CHILDREN
1. Two girls
2. One boy and one girl
3. Two boys
4. Three girls
5. Three boys
6. Four boys
7. Two girls and one boy
8. Two boys and one girl
9. Three boys and one girl
10. Three girls and one boy
11. Two boys and two girls
12. Four girls

Apparently the double-X chromosome is best enjoyed in small doses.