To love having a girl?

I had a poor relationship with my mum. She was not remotely approachable or loving growing up. I could not tell her anything about my life. I had to steal money to buy my own sanitary towels. She would not let me buy any fashionable clothes so I was bullied at school. She was cold and distant and if I ever asked for help with anything she would get angry.

I was determined that when I had my girl she would be able to tell me everything. From when she needed a bra, to her first period to losing her virginity, etc. My daughter is now a young adult and she tells me everything and says I’m her best friend. I can’t tell you how much that has healed me after my unloved childhood. So for me, having a daughter really has been special. Nothing to do with pink or dolls.

I don’t relate to this at all. I have one of each with their own unique personalities and interests. Neither of them likes pink and nor do I. DS likes cooking, DD doesn’t. DD likes Formula 1, DS doesn’t 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m the only member of the family who is attracted to men, which I found amusing yesterday when DH, DD and DS were discussing what they find attractive in women and I couldn’t join in 😂

I do hope your DS doesn’t catch on to how you feel though.

I teach so many lovely teenage boys and so many clearly adore their mums and have so much respect for them.

(the same is true of many teenage girls.)

Such a reassuring post
I don’t think my children are in any way better or worse than girls, they are just my children, I adore them and I love being a mum.

As a teacher, an only child of a single mum and mother to 2DDs I can honestly say I just do not understand boys at all and would have found having boys as a mum more challenging. At school, teenage boys are just so ‘different’ - loud voices, shouting, endlessly touching each other or their mates’ stuff, their humour is so slapstick and bizarre. I would really have struggled.

I have 3 boys who are all amazing and I wouldn’t swap them for the world. I dare say if I had 3 girls I’d think the same.
My friend always wanted a girl to dress up in pink and be girly with and got the biggest tomboy ever. Love your kids for who they are

I have a little girl and just cannot believe my luck. I'm not into all the pink stereotypical unicorn bits etc at all (she is and I don't know where she gets it from!!), but just having her is everything that I could have dreamed, I just love everything about it. She's such a lovely little companion and I thank my lucky stars for her every day.

She's my only one, so I have absolutely nothing to compare it to, but I do love 'girl's day', 'girl's night' etc and just having such a little bestie. Mind you, she has daddy daughter days and nights too and my husband absolutely loves those as well! So maybe it's the child rather than the gender, who knows xx

Are you not aware that boys have different personalities?

I have 3 and ‘ my experience’ with each of them is different because they are individuals. I love each of them with equal intensity, the thought of any child being less loved because of their sex is completely alien to my definition of parenthood and love

I have a girl - she's my only child and I knew when I was pregnant I was unlikely to have another as I was 40 and it was after many years of unsuccessfully trying.

I'm glad she was a girl - but I'm sure if I'd ended up with a boy I'd be saying 'I'm glad I have a boy'. In reality I'm just delighted I got to be a mum and that my child is the incredible person she is.

I had to some extent, when I tried to imagine what being a mum would be like, pictured myself with a girl. But not particularly a girly girl, and I've tried hard to avoid being overly gendered in the way we raise her, the way we dress her, the things we celebrate and interests we promote etc. She is in fact in a sparkly pink unicorn princess fairy stage right now, and has always loved things that are quite stereotypically 'girly' for as long as she's been able to exercise a choice, but she's also spent a happy hour this evening adding to her World Cup sticker book, plays football, climbs and flings herself off every obstacle she comes across and loves dinosaurs and minibeasts too, so at least there's a range.

I also very much worry about the world she's growing up in, male violence, the rise of online misogyny, the resurgence of unrealistic and damaging beauty standards etc. There have been a number of news stories and tragedies since she was born that have sometimes made me wonder how on earth I'm going to keep her safe and help her navigate all this shit, and perhaps a boy would have been easier.

I have 2 little girls and an older boy and I love them all because they’re all themselves, some posts on here agreeing are so so messed up and concerning

your kids sound cool and interesting x

Exactly
don’t these posters just love their children for being their own, special individual amazing selves

the condition that they love them because they are girls is really sad and depressing, it suggests they would not have been content with a boy

So how are girls and boys different? Be specific - how do their personalities differ according to sex?

Odd to think and odd to post. However, long as you’re happy!

did your son not want to play with Barbie's or dod you not consider that a thing? what if she turns into a tomboy, takes up footie and dresses exclusive in brown?

It’s an unpopular opinion, and rightly so I guess because I struggle to justify it to myself, but I have one girl and I couldn’t be happier. I wouldn’t want to have another and that’s partly because of the good chance that DC would be a boy.

I am not a ‘girly girl’ at all, mainly close male friends, spend most of my time on the farm etc. so it’s not that ‘mini me’ scenario but something about having a girl is just perfect for our family.

Don’t get me wrong, I teach wonderful boys, I have beautiful nephews, I would love a son the same I’m sure- but I feel eternally grateful for having a girl and stopping there.

I know it’s all about socialisation and boys aren’t naturally going to be more ‘wild’ than girls or anything but nothing about being a boy mum (whatever that actually means) really appeals to me. I look forward to her teenage years/adulthood in a way I would probably not with a son, probably due to being able to relate more. My DH feels the same and is very much a ‘girl dad’.

TLDR- it’s silly to differentiate really but having a daughter is wonderful I think having a son would be less enjoyable in some ways for us personally.

I love having a girl too op. She is the most headstrong and stubborn person l have ever met and l love that about her (most of them time!)

I have 4 girls and I’m content with it.

Maybe then they’ll realise how much you love your child regardless and how out of order their mom was making it all about their sex

I don’t really understand why so many people here can’t relate, because I certainly can.

Girls and boys are different. It’s not always about clothes, hobbies or stereotypes - they often have different personalities and ways of interacting.

And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying you enjoy the experience of raising a girl. That doesn’t automatically mean you love your son any less.

I love both of my children equally, but if I’m being honest, I do enjoy one child’s company more than the other’s at times. That doesn’t mean I love them differently- it just means they’re different people, and I have a different dynamic with each of them.

I think a lot more parents feel that way than are willing to admit out loud.

It’s not odd but it very much seems like you view activities as being gendered. I have 2 girls and a boy and at various times in their lives they have fitted in with gender “norms” but there’s plenty of other times they have not.

Basically it’s great that you love having this time with your daughter as long as you’re not gutted if she starts wanting to do things you view as “boy stuff”. But that’s true of all parenting really. We might love when our kids love what we love but they’re their own people at the end of the day.

I don’t think it’s the gender it’s the personality. My DS is by far the easiest, loveliest, sweetest and my best friend in a way a child can be. We are not into the same things but are interested in each others hobbies. DD is feral.

Your kids sound amazing and you're so lucky to have one of each . I've got boys , they are all completely different and I have a lovely relationship with them now they're all adults .

Agree … I’m not girly, bought up my daughter playing with dolls, Lego, trains, kitchen, worksho
etc etc. She joined a football team and played for 4 seasons did really well, got wet, muddy, strong and fit … annndd she’s now 14 and loves clothes, make up and skincare. None of it makes an ounce of difference, they’ll like what they like.

YANBU to be happy with what you’ve got … good for you.
You’ll probably piss off all the boy mums though … especially if they were hoping for a girl but won’t admit it.
I have one of each too and love them the same but for different things, it’s nice to experience both.