Daughters

Hopefully by the time this post is published I will be a proud papa of a new baby girl. If not, then I'll have one pissed off pregnant wife.

I've heard a bit of advice about raising a daughter but it all seems to be focused on what could/will go wrong. Here's a gem that stuck in my mind:

If you have a boy, then you have one penis to worry about. If you have a girl, then you have everyone else's penis to worry about.

Couldn't you easily switch the genders and genitalia and still have an accurate statement?

I think this sort of mentality is contributing to my anxiety about having a daughter. Fear of the unknown is ever prevalent in my life. I like to be prepared for anything and everything. You can never have enough money/time/blood/energy/information/towels to be prepared for every situation.  So I think I'm psyching myself out about parenting a girl.

I always hear about the bad stuff. However, I don't think any of these issues have anything to do with my latest child being female.

She'll have you wrapped around her finger.
Valid concern. But only valid because my son has already shown how susceptible I am to such tactics.

Just wait until she starts talking.
Have you met my son? If he's awake, then he's talking. And I doubt my daughter will be making lightsaber noises for six straight hours on a daily basis. (I wouldn't be too upset if she did though)

Look out when she starts driving.
I'm nervous about my wife driving. Not because I doubt her skill (if she can dock a 46' boat on Lake Erie in choppy seas, I think she can handle navigating a parking lot in a Mercury). But my concern is all the other idiots on the road. My child being female doesn't affect my limited trust in human intelligence.

Just wait for the teenage years. 
I don't mean to sound like I'm constantly degrading my son, but he's a bottle of black nail polish away from an angsty teenager right now. And he can't tie his shoes yet.

I just don't think all the drama people assume will come with having a girl is warranted. Yes, her clothing budget may be astronomically higher than my son's. But my son may need hundreds more for musical instruments or new cleats. I honestly think it will even out. For all I know, my son could be the fashionista and my daughter will be begging for a new batting glove.

Dads are always going to worry about their daughters. I just think I need to spend more time worrying about making sure she's safe and happy now rather than how much of a bitch she might be when she's fourteen.


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