"Why I didn't want a girl"

[asterroc]

A disgusting article written by a mother of two boys about why she doesn't want a girl for her third child. Absolutely disgustingly prejudiced and stereotyped and sexist and makes me want to puke. Moreover, what's this poor girl going to think when she grows up enough to read this article by her mother?

Comments

[the-xtina.livejournal.com]

That mother can meet up with this father, and they can have a hell of a time.

[rosefox]

I love the bio for the author:

Amy Wilson created the off-Broadway hit "Mother Load," now on national tour. Her daughter, Maggie, is 16 months old, and Wilson "gets it" now, she really gets it.

One sentence to offset all the EWWWW PINK POODLES bullshit. Clearly, at the very least, CNN doesn't "get it".

[spazzy444.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry but no. This isn't sexist, prejudice or anything like that. That is called emotions. Infact it is a really common thing, although not much discussed. To cite my non scientific source: By really common I mean in one of my pregnancy communities there was a HUGE discussion on it and the vast majority of people there felt the same way, if it wasn't what they were hoping for there was some level of disappointment.

While I may have not written an article on it, I was actually extremely depressed when I found out I was having a boy and not the girl I wanted. Does that make me a horrible person? I think it just makes me human.

If she had seeked an abortion due to the baby being the "wrong gender" then I would be beside you.

[ayashi.livejournal.com]

Gee, I wouldn't assume she wanted a girl just because she was a woman. I thought it was kind of natural (if perhaps presumptuous) to assume that people want the "1 girl and 1 boy" thing. At least, I think if I ever said the phrase "going for your girl?" that is what I would mean :x

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

"Girls . . . whine and mope, manipulate and triangulate. "

I should introduce this woman to my ex-husband. And any number of small, whiny, manipulative boy-children I've known.

But I'm guessing she'll be right, because she'll teach her daughter to be a girl, the way she's taught her sons to be boys. She's got "self-fulfilling prophecy" written all over her assumptions.

[best-ken-ever.livejournal.com]

Before this discussion goes any further, I would like to point out Amy Wilson's blogpost here. In short, CNN titled that article in that way, not her. I think that Amy's been cast in a bit of an unfair light by the media who want to make this story, as she says, provocative.

Granted, she is doing a little to propagate some sexist things in terms of how we (as a human race) raise children. I would be curious to see how you raise your own child(ren), assuming you decide to have any (naturally or otherwise). I'm not saying that to imply you might do a poor job (and I hope you don't read into it in any other way, as that was not my intent); I am just naturally curious: I've recently begun looking back on my own childhood and have had a few discussions with my parents about how they raised me and my younger sister. In doing so, I've come to just crack the surface of understanding what fantastically difficult, scary, life-changing, and life-encompassing learning processes childbearing and childrearing are. Wow.

[l0stmyrel1g10n.livejournal.com]

I wonder what she'll do when one of her sons tearfully confesses that deep down, he really does want to have a pink poodle party.

[framefolly.livejournal.com]

*shakes head, is sad*

[soapfaerie.livejournal.com]

I do think that some of her thoughts are stereotypical, but i also understand a bit as to where she's coming from. The further you get in the article, the less "OMG PINK POODLEZ" it gets. The line "So maybe she will be my little angel who will play with her dolls, peaceful and content. But is that what I want for her? If she is gentle, will she be eaten alive by the mean girls in sixth grade? Will I be powerless to protect her?" is very real to me... i remember being picked on by the mean girls, and my mother could do nothing. I fear that for my own potential future daughter. That being said, i still would like to experience raising one of each.

It's complicated, i guess... i'm not impressed with the article, but i also can sympathize...