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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

8 boys and wanting a girl

408 replies

icarriedawatermelon2 · 02/02/2010 19:10

AIBU to think that this programme was very unlikely to ever be called 8 girls and wanting a boy poor boys

The comments on the website about the programme are so sad

www.channel4.com/programmes/8-boys-and-wanting-a-girl

OP posts:
PlopPlopPing · 18/04/2011 19:04

So do you think you have general resentment for males? What about your father or father figure?

exoticfruits · 18/04/2011 19:06

I think that DCs would pick up that they are not wanted!
I know people with all girls who really want a boy-it works both ways.

DooinMeCleanin · 18/04/2011 19:06

I know of someone who had four girls and was desperate for one more try at a boy. She ended up having twin girls Shock

JingleMum · 18/04/2011 19:07

zukie of course you can't help how you feel, and i'm sure there are others who feel the same as you, and also people who feel that way about girls. it's a very strange subject.

do you think it's anything to do with the fact that you feel your relationship will be stronger with your DD's when they grow up (mother/daughter relationship/friendship) and that mothers and son's don't tend to be close friends (although they obviously still love each other dearly)

that being said my nan had 7 kids (2 boys, 5 girls) and she was the best of friends with one of her son's, absolutely thick as thieves, far closer friendship than with any of the others.

zukiecat · 18/04/2011 19:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PhishFoodAddiction · 18/04/2011 19:20

I have 2 DDs and feel very lucky and blessed that they are happy and healthy. I am also very glad that they are both girls! I was convinced DD2 was going to be a boy, and it was a huge relief to me when she born and we found out she was a girl.

I think it's the 'unknown' aspect of looking after a boy when I've been used to having girls that worries me. I would not feel at all disappointed if we never had a son. If we were to have a baby boy though, I'm sure I'd fall in love with him as soon as I saw him, and my DH would be overjoyed as he would love a son!

PhishFoodAddiction · 18/04/2011 19:21

zukie Sad I hope your counselling/ CBT helps.

PlopPlopPing · 18/04/2011 19:25

zukie I had issues with males when I was younger (don't really want to go into too much detail on here) but there was abuse (physical and sexual) and a general different treatment of males and females as I grew up. I did wonder how I would feel about having a boy and I hoped that no unwanted feelings would surface. Luckily none has but I wonder if this is because I had extensive counselling before hand and also my little boy is incredibly easy to love. He is gorgeous! I can't rate counselling enough, get all that you can, it's never too late.

zukiecat · 18/04/2011 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhatOnEarthIsIt · 18/04/2011 19:34

Flisspaps - the program was shown again last night so I think that's probably why this thread has been revived.

HHLimbo · 18/04/2011 19:34

In the south pacific, when a couple has had 4 boys they raise the next one as a girl.

All about the balance.

PlopPlopPing · 18/04/2011 19:36

I think you might need a bit more then CBT though. I've done it and know a few others that have and it is very, very useful so definetaly do it. It is great for anxiety and OCD etc.

You sound as though you have some deep issues though which I think you may need a psychology counsellor type person (can't remember what they are called sorry).

CheerfulYank · 18/04/2011 19:38

"Suffer from a condition called Gender Disappointment"

BOLLOCKS.

TethersEnd · 18/04/2011 19:46
Hmm

Anything else you'd like to dismiss the existence of, Cheerful Yank?

Actually, I've decided that the USA doesn't exist. It's Bollocks.

CheerfulYank · 18/04/2011 20:01

PMSL! Nope, I'm not an ADHD denier or anything.

Sometimes the USA is bollocks, I'll give ya that.

TethersEnd · 18/04/2011 20:08

Ok, assuming you exist (and I have no proof Wink) what makes you sure of the existence of ADHD but not Gender Disappointment?

CheerfulYank · 18/04/2011 20:52

I do not exist, as a matter of fact. :)

I think it's perfectly natural to have feelings of "oh, I wanted a girl/boy", but to label these feelings a disease is a bit much.

I think it's sickening to abort healthy fetuses because of their gender.

I think it's ridiculous to spend so much money trying to select a gender when, while you were doing that, God knows how many children just starved to death. Adopt a girl/boy if it's so all-fired important to you.

Other than those thoughts, I really have nothing to back up why GD is not a disease in my book and ADHD is. :)

CheerfulYank · 18/04/2011 20:53

And why the gender preference anyway? Everywhere you look on MN it's all "oh there's no difference, it's all societal programming" . So what does it matter if you get a boy or a girl?

The mind reels.

exoticfruits · 18/04/2011 20:57

I would have thought that everyone was just grateful to have a healthy baby. There are lots of older DCs needing adoptive parents-if it is crucial to have one sex above another I would suggest adoption.

CheerfulYank · 18/04/2011 21:00
DuelingFanjo · 18/04/2011 21:05

what a strange bump of such an old thread.

Newgolddream · 18/04/2011 21:09

zukiecat - I would never attempt to "analyse" you over the internet god forbid but you have said enough in your posts to suggest that therapy would help you look at the issues you have in your life, psychodynamic therapy is not just about looking at childhood issues but at your relationships in general. I copied this from some web site -

"Psychodynamic therapy is a general name for therapeutic approaches which try to get the patient to bring to the surface their true feelings, so that they can experience them and understand them.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy uses the basic assumption that everyone has an unconscious mind (this is sometimes called the subconscious), and that feelings held in the unconscious mind are often too painful to be faced. Thus we come up with defences to protect us knowing about these painful feelings.

Psychodynamic therapy assumes that these defences have gone wrong and are causing more harm than good, that is why you have needed to seek help. It tries to unravel them, as once again, it is assumed that once you are aware of what is really going on in your mind the feelings will not be as painful."

Good luck (CBT will still help you with your current depression/anxiety hopefully)

TethersEnd · 18/04/2011 21:11

I didn't coin the term 'Gender Disappointment', and agree it is a bad one. To save you scrolling up and reading my (much) earlier post, I'll CnP it here:

I had counselling for antenatal depression when I was pg. I was having a girl; when I found out I was devastated. I had wanted a boy my whole life. The strength of my feelings of disappointment shocked me.

Of course, looking back, I can see that my brain was riddled with hormones, I would have had the depression regardless of the gender of the baby, but at the time it felt awful. The worst thing was, I was carrying a healthy baby, and knowing how may people in the world would love to be in that position made me feel incredibly guilty for feeling the way I did.

The only information I could access about Gender disappointment was from mothers expecting boys and wanting girls- this made me feel even worse.

Interestingly, my counsellor said that a large proportion of the expectant parents she saw suffering Gender disappointment were those who had been infertile for many years, and had eventually conceived through IVF; they had held on to a dream of a (usually) baby girl for so long, that when they conceived twin boys they were devastated.

It is almost taboo to discuss it- I could never tell anybody how disappointed I was, it seemed so ungrateful.

Of course, now my DD is 2yo and I couldn't imagine loving her more than I do.

"I think it's sickening to abort healthy fetuses because of their gender."

I think this probably reflects your feelings about abortion more than your feelings about gender disappointment. People abort healthy foetuses for flippant reasons every day. FWIW, it does not sit right with me either but not every sufferer of Gender disappointment considers termination, nor do those who choose to terminate negate the existence of the condition.

"I think it's ridiculous to spend so much money trying to select a gender when, while you were doing that, God knows how many children just starved to death. Adopt a girl/boy if it's so all-fired important to you."

You could just as easily apply this logic to IVF. Are you against IVF for the same reasons?

There are also not a stream of babies waiting to be adopted; most are much older and quite often emotionally damaged children, with issues which can and do affect the success of their placements. To place such children with parents wanting a baby would not be fair on the child or the parents.

In short, Gender Disappointment is not just a child in a sweetshop stamping their foot because they got the wrong flavour chewing gum. It is an illness whereby you lose your sense of logic and proportion and hang all of your depressive feelings on the gender of the child. It's awful.

zukiecat · 18/04/2011 22:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bottleofbeer · 18/04/2011 23:57

Wayyyy back in the thread someone said they were glad number four was another boy so the first three never thought they were born in the hope of a girl. My 4th was a girl after three boys - should I worry my sons think they were only the result of trying for a girl?

Daft...

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