How to Conceive a Boy

During my research, I spoke with two different mothers who each have one girl and one boy. They both said pretty much the same thing in so many words: To conceive a boy, you should have unplanned, unromantic intercourse.

"Our son was conceived on my husband's lunch break from work," says Casey in Birmingham. "No soft music, no candles—just a wham-bam, thank you ma'am, and get back to work."

Holly from Atlanta gives similar advice. "If you want a boy, your drunken husband should attack you on the living room floor on a random weeknight," she says, laughing. "You should also have no idea where you are in your monthly cycle. That's how we conceived our son."

"Basically, a boy can be conceived with little time, absolutely zero romance, and the high possibility that you could get caught in the act," Casey puts it simply.