The value of a daughter.

Leanne while we were visiting Neck Point, near Nanaimo.

How we view the world is so very dependent upon how we were raised, the culture we embrace, religion, and the way we put all this together through the years.  It amazes me that some would have you think that boys are more valuable than girls.  I guess that sentiment comes from things like the way family names get passed down, the traditional role of men in rural settings, and those that see male heirs as the caregivers later on in life.  None of those have affected the view I have on the value of my daughter.

Children are, of course, the very center of what we think of as the family.  "Family is important," as the saying goes, and it requires us to administer our time and resources in such a way as to reflect that.  But is one child really more important than another?  There is the boys versus girls comparison, the order of birth aspect, and the achievement record which one may use to judge extrinsic worth.  Yet at the heart of it all remains the real question, should the love you have for a child be based on such external factors?

I would submit that the only answer is, "No."  Love must be unconditional.  A simple sentence yet one that has the very basis for producing a better world.  All children, regardless of age, deserve to be loved equally.  To do otherwise devalues the worth of an individual and creates biases that do far more harm than good.  How we treat those around us reflect how we will be treated in the coming days.  To be loved, it is important to love first.

I would do anything for my daughter.  As a parent, I have been given the task of raising her properly, which means balancing discipline with reward.  It also means treating her well and supporting her goals.  There are many obstacles that present themselves over the year; things like money, position, physical and mental health all restrict what actions can be taken.  None of that really matters though.  Love is not based on physical parameters, wealth, or ability.  It is a decision, one that should never waver.  Love is what you do.

I love my daughter, and I try to show it.  I have my faults, numerous ones at that, but those do not prevent me from trying.  When I blow it, I say I am sorry and continue trying to be the best parent I can.  That's the other great thing about love; it forgives and forgets.  And it goes both ways.