The Rule of 3

The rule of 3 is simple and finite.

When entertaining girls at your home or sending yours to someone else's, avoid odd numbers if at all possible. There is a phenomenon that occurs when girls are not evenly paired together that causes friction and inevitable hurt feelings within minutes of any gathering. The effects are lessened by a few factors such as the distraction of a large social gathering like a birthday party, however odd numbers can create an issue even in large groups if the girls are not properly distracted.

We know what you are thinking. Not my girls or their friends. True that personalities and upbringing are valid factors extending the time of peace, however the rule of 3 has proven that it is only a matter of time before an issue occurs. 

We believe that the root cause is that girls require complete attention from one another, and that having 3 requires one girl to focus more on one than another leaving someone feeling left out. Girls of course are accutely aware of the priority or lack there of, and immediately take offense. Unlike boys who simply fight it out, the left out girl will mope, complain, whine to their parent, or the one present and may even cry. The other girls will often lash out at this behavior by bullying the outcast girl and making things escalate further. Parental involvement often will not solve the issue, and  may begin a parental feud over who's children are at fault.

It is best to avoid this situation altogether as there is no winning once the problem has started.

The bottom line is 2 girls is good, 4 girls works even better somehow, and 3 should be avoided at all costs. At 5 or 7 make sure you keep them occupied with party games, singing, a camera or some other diversion for safety. On rare occasion a set of 3 for a short duration can work, however even the best friendships will be tested in this scenario, and what is one more girl really.

Our experience has only been with girls and so we are not sure if it applies to boys or not, but we doubt it. The entire issue seems to be the way girls are wired and communicate with one another when there aren't a lot of outside distractions.

This post may seem negative towards girls, however we prefer them to boys and have thoroughly enjoyed raising ours. We hope that the rule of 3 saves you grief, pain and tears.