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Boys VS Girls

RelyNC's picture

I have a question. So we have three boys in the home and a girl. The girl is my SD and the three boys are our children together. Is it natural for a father to be a little bit harder on the boys rather than the girls? I would hate to think that it was DH feeling sorry for SD. She is now a teen and beginning to manipulate that to her advantage. The last thing we need is for her to turn out like her mother...... Some times it just seems like he doesn't necessarily favor her but lets her get away with a lot more than the boys do. So I just want to know if its a gender thing or if its because he feels sorry for my SD. We haven't had to many discussions on the matter but I need outside opinions before I approach him on it.

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RelyNC's picture

And that makes sense to show them how to be a man and lead. He didn't have any sisters so he doesn't know how. I hope this is what he says in our deep discussion we are going to have. Because something has got to give. I want the best things for her but if fear that he is doing it out of pity and we are sensitive to the situation but at the same time he is not showing her or letting her learn from her mistakes.

RelyNC's picture

We try our hardest to let her know she can do anything. I only want the best for her. I want her to succeed. Her mother isn't the best example. She is the example of trailer park trash, I wish I was making that up. She dropped out of school has four kids and lives in a single wide trailer with nine other people. I never mention anything about her being like her mother to her or much of anyone else. I don't have to because everyone already knows how the mother is. Her own family doesn't agree. The reason I did this on my blog is I see a trend happening lately. She is wanting to dress like her(not modest and not of the greatest hygiene) and she told me she wanted children young like her mother. Her mother was 17 and so was her mother and her great grand mother who was 16. So in my SD eyes she is seeing this as being a normal thing. With the history and already so much that the mom has exposed her to that is where my fear comes from.

I wish it was me just defending the boys it would be much easier to say that. Here are some examples of recently:

DH was running to the store and oldest boy said can I come with you? he said no your room isn't clean so then SD asked and he said yeah I said well wait her room isn't clean either(in his ear where they couldn't hear). He said oh well she can clean it when she gets back.

We were doing yard work and we were all outside. Well SD claimed she was tired (shes almost five years older than the others). So he said go in and lay down. Middle child who is five said im tired too daddy and he said well your almost done then you can go inside.

Grades- first grader dropped from a 4 to a 3 in one area which is still above grade average he gets grounded for a week and no video games. SD dropped two grades from letter grade C to both Ds. Nothing happens. So this was one of our first talks about that. She is in fifth grade and he is in first although on different grading scales he was still above grade average meaning he is still advanced. She is now failing.

I just fear he may feel sorry for her and doesn't want to talk with her on it. I wish it was a natural thing for me to favor my kids that would be easier to say it was a natural thing. I want SD to do great things because she is capable of anything but if DH continues on this path I fear the worse. I say this because I am a school teacher and I know where this leads. I have seen where this leads. Any parent that no longer wants to push a child to do better whether school grades or sports begins to fall rather than achieve. If a parent just gives in or gives up the result is almost never promising. Im sorry if this sounds wrong to anyone but this is purely because I do want great things for her but with a poor example for a mother and a giving in father I do worry a lot about her. I love enough to care this much. I could simply not care. I am grateful for the structure we give the boys because they will do great things I want the same for her.

RelyNC's picture

I think my solution to him is going to be he needs to talk to her therapist or one of his own. I think he is scared to confront these things. I think he doesn't want to be hard on her in fear of losing her. She has been through so much. I inquired about grades because I was concerned. The teacher stated that when she comes from BM weekend she is easily distracted and homework is becoming a problem. She told me that she has trouble handing in class assignments that are completed as well. That she is not checking her work or just not showing her work. In addition she that she is not getting signed stuff returned. I assured her we haven't seen some of the things she asked for as for the others they were signed. they do what is called take home Tuesday which is a collaboration of class work homework quizzes and test. You have to take them home and have a parent sign them. she hasn't been giving them to my husband. So I started demanding to see them. I honestly think that there is more going on at BM house. We recently discovered that BM is handing over her other three children to her fathers girlfriend without contesting. She is telling everyone she needs to do stuff for herself etc etc which some see a responsible thing but to me she is selfish always has been. And I think SD is seeing and hearing all of this. Placing the pressure on her and effecting school work. That is what I think but we just continue to take her to therapy. But I need DH to realize that she is older now and needs to be responsible for her actions and responsibilities. That is just my opinion on it. I just need to know other sides and hear how people would view this if it were them. I want to be open minded about it and see form all sides solely to benefit her.

z3girl's picture

I think DH is harder on our boys than he was on SD. I think if SD had siblings close in age to her, it might have been different.

From what you've written, it sounds like your DH might feel bad for your SD. I think HRNYC's advice sounds good.

RelyNC's picture

And that may be the case to with my SD. She is almost five years older than the next child. She was our one and only for the longest time and with the timing and way things went down with her own mother. She thought her mother left her to have her other daughter. Since that is when she abandoned her. I could only imagine what went through her mind. I think at that point she began to resent me for being pregnant because she would yell at me your going to leave me to! and I had to prove to her that I was never going to leave her. And I haven't I have kept my word. I worry about her day and night and I think ultimately I don't want to have to keep worrying because I want her safe and happy away from her mother who has done so much damage.

Monchichi's picture

Hmm, it's not gender based. I am harder on my daughters than I am on my SS. My H is harder on my eldest because she is a highly intelligent child. He expects more from her. I think it's what you as the parent thinks the child is capable of.

Cover1W's picture

DP is not hard enough on the SDs because they ARE girls.
He's said this out loud, "I was thinking about the trash day and if they were boys, I'd have them helping, but because they are girls I don't. I don't think that's good."

Me: NO that's not good. They can do anything. And BTW I'm a girl and I am doing it more than you...WTF?!

I have to remind him I grew up on a freaking farm and worked HARD from a young age. I dislike that lifestyle, but I certainly didn't grow up to be a whiner or "delicate flower" as is SD11. Kids NEED to shovel poop and clean dirty dishes by hand and stack wood. Freaking get over it and grow up.