When children are young, they tend to act different than when they are older. They are not mature yet and are still easily influenced. Little kids are usually very easily influenced by their surroundings.
Whether it is television, friends, family members, or just plain strangers, everyone and everything are influences on a little kid. I believe that young boys are usually more easily influenced than young girls.
First, one influence that has a major effect on children's behavior is television. Believe it or not, T.V. plays a big role in how kids act. Shows like the Power Rangers and G.I. Joe can make boys violent and want to fight. Girls are not so easily influenced by television as boys are. Although there are some girls that want to fight along with the boys, for the most part, girls do not like those types of shows.
Along with television, children may also be influenced by people they don't know. Although most children are taught not to talk to strangers, we would be surprised how many actually do. Studies have shown that both boys and girls do talk to strangers, but boys are more likely to do what a stranger tells them than girls are. A lot of young boys are easily deceived. Girls, on the other hand, are more curious and naive. Even when girls are young, they are still weary of trusting people they don't know. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Personally, I am a pro advocate for girls to learn self defense and have enrolled my daughter in Karate so she has tools to use as she gets older if needed.
Finally, kids are most influenced by their parents and their friends. Because friends and family members are people that kids trust, they tend to want to be like them. Parents play a big role in a child's life. If a kid sees his/her parents fight all the time at home, it will probably make the child violent or secluded. If a kid hears his friends cuss all the time, then he/she will probably start