Males and females may have different parenting styles, although I think a lot of that has to do with the scientific approach to parenting which started with Dr. Spock and the fact that women are more inclined to read that type of literature, most of which ironically is written by men. It's much harder and takes more time to discipline kids verbally. The fact that you really had the same goals in mind, if not the same methodology, means that you are really not so different. BTW I've seen plenty of male parents who turn a blind eye to their kid's bad behavior as well, complete with the old idiom - boys will be boys, while the little miscreant runs around someone else's home like a hyperactive chimpanzee.