I attended a gathering with some older ladies, many of whom have grandchildren around my son’s age. One of them asked if I had a girl, and when I said I had a boy, her expression changed, and she remarked, ‘Oh, okay,’ before going on about how cute baby girls are. Everyone else there without kids said they wanted girls, and one even mentioned doing IVF to ensure it would be a girl. I had always wanted a girl since I’m very close to my mom, and we did lots together growing up, while my brother was into different things. However, I am absolutely in love with my baby boy now and wouldn’t change him for the world, but I can’t help feeling sad about the old lady’s reaction 
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Honestly, people will react based on gender no matter what. We have a boy and I even wanted a boy. People still say, ‘Are you sad it’s not a girl?’ No, I love him! It’ll be fun to be a sports mom or whatever he’s into. My sister-in-law had a girl and people asked her if they would keep trying until they had a boy.
@Rin
Seriously. No one can be happy for you for some reason.
@Rin
Yep! My mother-in-law even said, ‘I wanted you to have a boy.’ Great, you had a boy but we’re having a girl. When asked about our baby, I reply, ‘I prayed for a healthy baby, and that’s exactly what I got.’ I assume the latter are just trying to chat, but some people are quite interesting.
@Rin
Absolutely true. We had a gender reveal; it was a girl and everyone was happy, but some older relatives said we should have had a boy. A week later, I found out it’s a boy, and again there were happy reactions, but some still expressed sorrow it wasn’t a girl. I’m just trying hard not to care what others think about my baby. Next time we won’t tell anyone.
@Jason
I tried keeping the gender secret but ended up hinting it. It wasn’t easy to keep quiet.
Perrin said:
@Jason
I tried keeping the gender secret but ended up hinting it. It wasn’t easy to keep quiet.
I ended up telling strangers but kept it from family until I accidentally mentioned it next to my mom. Pregnancy brain is real!
I have a boy and he’s the cutest thing ever! I come from a family of girls; I wanted a girl too, but my boy is adorable. Others can think what they want.
People call my 15-month-old son a girl all the time. She might have been embarrassed. You’ll never win this weird gender battle.
Brooke said:
People call my 15-month-old son a girl all the time. She might have been embarrassed. You’ll never win this weird gender battle.
Exactly! My 15-month-old son has long blonde hair and often gets mistaken for a girl. I waited seven years for him; I’d love him no matter what!
I have one of each, and you get those comments no matter what. When I had a boy, it was all, ‘Aww, too bad it’s not a girl.’ When I had a girl, it was, ‘Too bad it’s not a boy; no one loves you as much as a son.’ It’s gendered nonsense and wrong. Kids are individuals.
People are strange about gender. I always wanted a boy. When my OB thought I was having a girl, I felt a small disappointment, which vanished when I got to the car. I began looking at girl clothes, only to find out later it was a boy.
I feel the same for my boy! Everyone was hoping for a girl. I felt sorry for him right from the start. But as long as me and his dad love him, it’s all that matters. Everyone else can f*ck off! I’m delighted he’s a sweet little boy, but my MIL always says she dislikes young boys. What the heck!
@Rin
What a fun thing for your husband to hear. What a weird, hurtful comment.
Nico said:
@Rin
What a fun thing for your husband to hear. What a weird, hurtful comment.
Exactly! She had three boys and no girls, which makes it even weirder.
Nico said:
@Rin
What a fun thing for your husband to hear. What a weird, hurtful comment.
Exactly! She had three boys and no girls, which makes it even weirder.
That’s super strange! I understand hoping for a granddaughter, but those comments from a boy mom are odd.
Congratulations on your beautiful, smiley, happy baby boy!
The gender of your child has no impact on what activities you can do together. You can still do all the activities you want with a boy.