to think by and large girls are now the preferred gender?

[Bethshine82]

I have noticed a lot since having my son that girls seem to be the gender of choice. We seem to have gone from girls being discriminated against, to them being equal and now we seem to have gone past that to a point where they are now seen as better than boys.

When I had my son several people immediately said I'd have to try again for a daughter and that every woman needs a daughter. When I was pregnant and very sick people said (including midwife) 'typical male causing trouble already.' And on numerous occasions people (friends and strangers) have suggested any undesirable behaviour is due to his gender rather than him being a toddler. Won't sleep? It's because he's a boy. Won't sit still for long? It's because he's a boy. Loves tv and would watch all day if allowed? Typical man.
Even once in a shop when DS was trying to carry milk and bread for me but struggling the shop lady said 'men! Can't do two things at once.'

It really annoys me. How cone girls get to be 'princess' while boys have to be 'noisy' and 'monster' on all the clothes. Actually why is there hardly any choice in boys' clothes come to think of it.

Boys seem to be pushed down right from when they are born and the education system largely favours girls too, especially primary education.

AIBU to let this get to me? Possibly I am over sensitive but it does seem to be that girls are now predominantly favoured over boys.

Ive two nieces, and I've seen just how girls behave from 7 to 19 no thanks. I'd never want a girl. Have two boys.

I think before having the baby people try to imagine things they might do in the future with their unborn child, so have a tendency towards preferring their own gender as they believe they may have more in common. To put it in very very stereotypical terms, a man may imagine playing football with his son while a woman is picturing of going shopping with her daughter.

When I was pg with DS I was told, several times, that he was not moving because he was being "a lazy boy". I hate it when people say things like that.

I would always have put myself in the 'wanting a girl' camp, but I have three nephews and I adore them so much I can't imagine not wanting a boy too.

Also after helping look after them for years now, I feel like I have a 'handle' on boys now...won't know where to start with a girl, and now I know I'm having a DD it's a whole new world for me.

Do like the fact that I'm balancing out the genders in the family a bit after 3 nephews, but my OH only has nieces so it's staying 100% feminine on his side! I know he would have loved a boy but he's excited about having a girl too.

Do feel a wee bit sorry for my SiL as I know she would have loved to have a girl, but think she is quite reconciled to football, Nintendo, Star Wars etc by now.

In an ideal world I'd like to have one of each but concentrate on having DD1 first and see where we go after that.

"I find that parents of girls are far harder on boys when they play.

The second a boy does a kung-fu game girl-parents are edgy."

Oh yes, I'll fess up to this Mostly because it usually ends with DD1 hurt and in tears. But I put that down to shit parenting on the part of the other parents rather than gender issues.

Of my 2 dds one has definite 'girl' traits and the other, although 18 months is a complete 'boy' by comparison.

It works both ways. Boys have their share of negative stereotypes - violent, noisy, needy as babies, whatever. Equally, there are some really nasty ones applied to girls, especially older ones. My DD is 13, and cannot simply not like someone's company, without accused of being bitchy, scheming and so on. Double points if it's another girl.

OP - I have a totally opposite experience. We're expecting a boy and most parents who have kids of both gender have said they prefer their son. Even in front of their daughters! It has been shocking. According to them, baby girls cry to whinge, baby boys cry because they need something.

There is a serious lack of cute clothes for boys. I think it has to do with urge of dressing little boys as cool guys. Shops are full of cute age appropriate clothes for girls, for boys it seems to be jeans and long sleeved Tshirts in different colours. Basically the same stuff adult men wear, but in smaller sizes. Luckily there are dungarees, which will look adorable on a baby boy!

I have 3 boys and am expecting dc4. Would prefer another boy. I feel like I know what I am doing with them. I have a strong feeling that this one is a girl and actually I am scared. What if I don't love her as much as my boys? Girls feel very alien. I have a brother and a nephew and no experience of girls at all.

Not sure how to take that fireandfury - you can't be meaning that boys parents are shit if they do kung-fu moves surely ?
Is it just if the boys are being reckless / deliberately violent ? I'd agree that shouldn't go on without parents coming down heavy on it.

No, I have no problem with them doing kung fu moves. I have a problem with them being able execute them, unchecked on my DD1 without being disciplined or asked to apologise for hurting them.

As I say, that's a parenting issue, not a gender one.

Oh I think girls are definitely the preferred gender - very rarely do I hear people either in RL or on here saying they'd prefer a boy.

I've got 2 boys and then had a DD and really - you'd think I discovered a cure for cancer judging by peoples reactions.

Just after I'd had my second son - was sat in Dr's and an older gentleman said to me 'a sons a son till he gets a wife etc' and although I think its utter rubbish - I do think thats a big part of why people seem to prefer a girl. I mean I read on here all the time how the wife's parents are the most important grandparents and that the wife is the 'family' now and it is slightly depressing.

I've yet to come across a girl that is 'easier' than a boy! Someone show me one!! I always wanted a girl but have been put off.

After my (much) younger brother was born, followed 2 yrs later by my nephew who were both delightful and extremely easy, we were delighted and overly excited when my sister was expecting a girl! She, at 6 now is the biggest PITA I've come across, which has been the case from birth. I dreaded visiting, even when she was a baby as she'd just scream constantly. Her sister who followed 18 months later was calmer as a baby but is the same PITA now at 5. I assumed they'd get easier as they got older but, if anything they become worse by the day. I'd honestly be gobsmacked if they became easy teenagers.

More boys have followed the girls and are all easy going too.

I always wanted a girl but, from the way boys and girls seem to differ in our family I'd take a boy anyday.

From myself, my older brother and sister - my brother was a difficult baby with reflux etc yet became easy from about a year onwards, I (of course) was fabulous all the way through (had a difficult stage between 11 and 13 which coincided with my parents divorcing) and my younger sister was an average baby but became big trouble when she hit about 10. And nothing has changed now as an adult.

At toddler groups I attend with my DS, it's always the girls who are kicking off, having tantrums and fighting with each other. The boys usually look on, either entertained by the drama or looking extremely worried. I've not yet seen a scrap between boys (only 2 yrs in so I'm sure there's time).

I have though seen a couple of 'rough' looking boys at the indoor play centre who appear to go round looking for trouble with the other kids.

"I've got 2 boys and then had a DD and really - you'd think I discovered a cure for cancer judging by peoples reactions."

But I believe the reactions would be the same had you had a boy after two girls.

My nieces swore at their mum from age 8, at 16 they were calling her a whore and a slag and throwing her clothes out the window, she couldnt' cope with two so one went and lived with her dad, they always fought a 14 month age difference.

They were nice to me but to their mum? horrendous.

I have 4 ds and I feel I get lots of pity but I truly think I'm blessed. I do think people seem to favour baby girls IMHO

Possibly soup but I think its the thought of being a mil that terrifies so many mothers of boys.

I want a boy purely to annoy my mother. My sister has a boy, my cousin has three and my other cousin (both as close as sisters) has another boy. When a baby is born she is given to saying "Is it a boy or a child?"

Gender stereotypes really bug me at times. More than I thought they would, TBH.

I have 2 DDs.

We were at my nephew's 2nd birthday party and every time my DD1 (aged 4) had the audacity to speak, my sister's next door neighbour (who has 1 DS aged 12) would pipe up, "girls are so loud aren't they?" or "girls are hard work aren't they?"etc. I felt like telling her to eff off, how the fuck would she know how hard girls are when she has a boy? DD1 isn't particularly loud or hard work either...well no more so than any other 4 year old!

I took my beautiful baby DD2 to toddler group, ever so proud was I. A lady comes up to me and says: "aw, how lovely! Is she your first?"
Me: "no, second I have another little girl."
Her: "aw, I bet you wanted a boy!"
Me (covering DD2's ears): "um, no actually!"
Although I'm sure that if she had been a boy she would be just as wonderful and just as loved.

I was only used to girls (friends and sil had all had girls) when I fell pg so I did want a girl as that was what I was used to at the time. I got my girl. When it came to trying again OHs reply was "If it's another girl" but I think that was more a reflection on the fact that we already had everything for a girl. I got my second girl, but wouldn't have been devastated if it was a boy.

My Dfriend has been pg both times I was. She had a boy both times and was DEVASTATED (and admitted as much freely) both times. She and her hubby then signed up for adoption for the single purpose of trying to get a boy. They then withdrew from adoption as she got pg again...and had another boy. They have since again signed up to adopt even though their tiny house if full, full, full.

I feel sad that she was disappointed by the birth of her own children.

I have 3 kids, 8, 6 and 3. DD and 2 DSes.

I find it difficult buying clothes for all three of them. I will not buy anything that says "princess" or similar for DD, or (now she's older) hideous, semi-sexualised tarty looking impracticable shite.

Similarly, I won't put the boys in anything that says monster, naughty, noisy, messy etc. (Although I did buy DS1 a t-shirt that says "I'm not listening." Because it is true.) And, sorry, but I don't want pink/ purple/ lilac for DD and shades of mud for the boys. What's wrong with green, orange etc? And why, when I put DS2 in a purple t-shirt, am I told that it's a girls one?

I have 4 siblings, we were all dressed in the same clothes most of the time (clothkits, mainly!) and our clothes were practical - and hand-down-able, none of this shite about baby girl trousers being boot cut etc.

And the pink pram thing - ROAR. DS2 had a purple buggy, again, told it was a "girls' pram." WTF?

Well, I don't know if they are preferred or not but all this negative gender stereotyping is really unbelievable.
I get how most people (equally wrongly) will tend to compliment a boy saying he is strong and a girl saying she is cute or something like that and that needs to be worked on as well, but seriously, the things people think are OK to say, and to your face!!!

When my ds was around 3 weeks I had someone tell me how cute he is just to then go on to say she was happy she had had a daughter because she wouldn't know how to handle a boy as they are "smelly and silly". Thank you very much...
Sadly, her daughther who is lovely by the way, is already saying things like this....
On the other hand, thinking about it this woman us usually talking crap nonsense, so I shouldn't take if personally:os

I have 2 boys and 2 girls
Baby stage-gender didn't make any difference-1 easy and 1 demanding baby of each sex.
Toddler/infant school age - girls a million times easier.
After that girls still lovely but the friendship issues and general bitchiness of some of the girls at school etc is just heartbreaking.

I have four girls. Can't comment on whether they are easier to look after and preferable to boys as have no experience of boys.

However, it does annoy me when people look pitying or sympathise when I say I have four girls as they will obviously all be horrible teens. Utter crap and stereotyping. How they are as teens has nothing to do with gender and all to do with personality imo. My two eldest are teens. Dd1 is great, but can be hard work, and actually has been since she was very small. She is too like me I think and we can clash. Thank goodness she is finally growing up and will soon be out of the teen years. I actually like her again now

Dd2 has never given me a day's worry in her life, despite being a girl and a teen (17). She is a lovely girl and we have a fab relationship.

Dd3 will be a teen this year and like dd2 is not a bit of bother. Very easy going and happy.

Dd4 is only 10 and is hilarious. Another happy little girl.
So one difficult dd out of 4 isn't bad going. And even dd1 hasn't been all that bad and is turning into a lovely young lady.

So for those who say that they would hate to have teen girls as teen boys are so much easier, please think before you speak. Because it is blatantly not true.

Sorry didn't mean for that to turn into a rant