Raising Boys and Girls as Equals: A Parenting Responsibility

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“We must teach your children independence, and they will never be a burden—to themselves or to others.”

Parenting is not about raising a son or a daughter; it is about raising a capable human being. Yet, in many families, boys and girls are still raised with different expectations. Girls, alongwith working hard to make a flourishing career are taught to manage household chores, while boys are given the freedom to focus only on their studies and careers. This imbalance does not just affect individual lives—it affects families, marriages, and society as a whole.

A son who never learns to cook, clean, or care for his own space grows up expecting his wife to do it all for him. Similarly  daughter who is never taught basic life skills because “house help will do it” becomes dependent on others for the simplest tasks. In both cases, they enter adulthood unprepared for life’s realities. When marriage happens, due to stereotype thought process especially in India,  these unrealistic expectations create stress, frustration, and often, broken relationships.

The way children are raised today is one of the major reasons why many marriages fail early. Women refuse to carry the entire weight of the household alone, and men, who were never taught to share responsibilities, struggle to adjust. On the other hand, if a girl is raised believing she never has to do any household work, she may also find it difficult to contribute effectively in a partnership.

The solution is simple but powerful—raise children, not based on gender, but based on life skills. Every child, whether a boy or a girl, should know how to cook, clean, do laundry, manage their own belongings, and handle responsibilities. And when they form a family, they should work as a team, not as individuals carrying separate burdens.

The goal of parenting is not to raise sons who become burdens on their wives or daughters who become burdens on their new families. The goal is to raise strong, independent individuals who thrive—both alone and together.

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