Generally, mothers are closely bonded with their sons. They naturally show favouritism for their sons. There maybe many reasons. Here I quote an extract from "The Thorn Birds -by Colleen McCullough" which I read a few years back.
This is a conversation between a Father Ralph deBricassart and Fee Cleary who are friends where they talk about the Cleary family and the deaths of her sons.
"Fee, I want you to think about something."
"Yes, what?" She was dark again.
"Are you listening to me?" he asked sharply, worried and suddenly more frightened than before.
For a long moment he thought she had retreated so far into herself even the harshness of his voice hadn't penetrated, but up blazed the beacon again, and her lips parted. "My poor Paddy! My poor Stuart! My poor Frank!" she mourned, then got herself under that iron control once more, as if she was determined to elongate her periods of darkness until the light shone no more in her lifetime.Her eyes roamed the room without seeming to recognize it. "Yes, Father, I'm listening," she said.
"Fee, what about your daughter? Do you ever remember that you have a daughter?"
The grey eyes lifted to his face, dwelled on it almost pityingly.
"Does any woman? What's a daughter? Just a reminder of the pain,a younger version of oneself who will do all the things one hasdone, cry the same tears. No, Father. I try to forget I have a daughter-if I do think of her, it is as one of my sons. It's her sons a mother remembers."
"Yes, what?" She was dark again.
"Are you listening to me?" he asked sharply, worried and suddenly more frightened than before.
For a long moment he thought she had retreated so far into herself even the harshness of his voice hadn't penetrated, but up blazed the beacon again, and her lips parted. "My poor Paddy! My poor Stuart! My poor Frank!" she mourned, then got herself under that iron control once more, as if she was determined to elongate her periods of darkness until the light shone no more in her lifetime.Her eyes roamed the room without seeming to recognize it. "Yes, Father, I'm listening," she said.
"Fee, what about your daughter? Do you ever remember that you have a daughter?"
The grey eyes lifted to his face, dwelled on it almost pityingly.
"Does any woman? What's a daughter? Just a reminder of the pain,a younger version of oneself who will do all the things one hasdone, cry the same tears. No, Father. I try to forget I have a daughter-if I do think of her, it is as one of my sons. It's her sons a mother remembers."
When I read this, it gave me a pang. Fee had a daughter called Megan Cleary whom she talks about in the later pages...
Fee smiled broadly, genuinely pleased. "Meggie, I used to think having a daughter wasn't nearly as important as having sons, but I was wrong. I enjoy you, Meggie, in a way I can never enjoy my sons. A daughter's an equal. Sons aren't, you know. They're just defenseless dolls we set up to knock down at our leisure."
I felt good when I read it. Issue resolved[refer to book for details]. Let that favouritism diminish. The extremities of this matter can cause female infanticides, break-ups etc. I pray for an indiscriminated childlife.
Hmmm yup it was wonderful to read . Let everyone hav an indiscriminating childlife :)
ReplyDeleteMom loves all her children.... magnitude might differ.... may be...may be not
ReplyDelete@ Nutty Martian
ReplyDeleteYes. Let's hope.
@ Shika Khandelwal
Of course she does. But it'd be better not to show the difference in magnitude.
well of course that wud be better....
ReplyDeletesometimes its jus in child's mind...
may be unintentionally Mother do that...Moms can get benefit of doubt....
they are humans & we dont live in an ideal world.....
It's true...sons love their moms more than daughters do. But at a certain stage daughters understand the pain took by their moms and are more attached to them. [:)]
ReplyDelete