Daughter vs. Son

Raja Rajeshwari Nagasigamani, the author of many books expresses her thoughts on being a mom of a daughter and a son so beautifully and wins the arguement both sides over.

“Daughters are the best!” A statement I hear from many!

Over and over again, they repeat it like a litany

They offer underlying reasons oh so many

All lined with indisputable facts, to that statement lead

So daughters surely must be the best, I almost did concede

Albeit with a punch of instinctive reluctance

But something about it did not make sense

And not just because I’m a mother of a son too

Examine this statement I must, projected as being so true

I’m compelled to debate it, the opposing arguement however, firm

On principle, I just had to and not on a mere whim

‘Cause now where does that statement leave him

With his sibling almost wearing the title of the best

So I agonized over this question like it was a critical test

And I carefully made a mental chart

Began to analyze thoughts straight from my heart

For a mother, can there be equality in disparity

I dug deeper into my psyche for clarity

Can I arrive at a conclusion that is utterly fair?

Follow me on this journey of discovery if it’s a predicament you to share

A daughter surely offers comfort by just being there

And oh! she does it with such sweet flair

Tuned by nature or nurture, to say…exactly what and when I need to hear

While my confusion and pain he does silently bear

Till he decodes the riddle and offers a solution very clear

With his triumphant and winning smile oh! so very dear

She validates and supports my path with affirmatives

To fix any situation, calmly he comes up with alternatives

With clarity and openness, complex feelings she readily shares

To step out of my little shell…me, he openly dares

With patience and approval, she shows her unconditional care

With provocative validation, he proclaims me a mother beyond compare

She listens and reacts with uncanny understanding

He instigates me and challenges my familiar line of thinking

Her well-intended sarcasm, when prodded, always finds its mark

He offers blunt criticism so precise and never off the mark

She is ever ready to lighten my mood with a jolly walk in the park

He is ever prepared to pounce on those intending me harm with the swiftness of a shark

Mistakes are just that…not to be brooded over, she tells me

He assures me that silly blunders are what make me as normal as normal can be

While she can readily offer a shoulder to cry on

He can immediately extend a shoulder to lean on

Acceptance and praise on me, she generously showers

kindness in actions and expressions without holding back, he freely offers

She is always ready to gently explain her differing point of view at length

While he is a rare combination of compassion and strength

He defends me with the same ferocity my stand he challenges

She supports me with the same wild intensity my word she questions

But just when I believed I had slotted and figured them both out

They go on to surprise me as my observations they unintentionally flout

What I thought applied to him, I now see can apply to her too

And the other way round also does surely hold true

I realize for today enough of my perceptions have been minced

Thoroughly convinced am I, that not now and not ever, will I be thoroughly convinced

As to which child should wear the title of the best

So I arrive at a temporary conclusion

Which I’m sure will be prone to more than one revision

A daughter may be the best for you

But a son is the one who can bring out the best in you.