Last June I wrote about the two difference experiences my husband and I were having by having both a boy and a girl, Ryan and Sydney attend the prom. Now, our children are both in college. And our experience, with the two of them away, is still vastly different.

Sydney, as her older sisters did, seems to call home once a day, generally on her way to or from class. She’s often pretty chatty, filling us in on her day. The once a day phone call is sometimes supplemented with a second call if she’s fearful about an upcoming exam or wants an opinion on her outfit choice for a party she’s going to that night. Generally, the outfit choice calls go first to her sisters and we are her runner-up choice if her sisters are not available.

Ryan, however, does not call home as often. Although, there is a lot of texting and calls that go on between my husband and him during Jets games. I find myself, with Ryan, trying to walk that delicate line between being a concerned involved parent and a parent who is too intrusive. And while I know that he loves us just as Sydney does, I know that I am often looking for an excuse to call him.

Gender difference or personality difference? Or both?