Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The parents of single girl child from the city said that girls are in no way inferior to boys. They can do whatever the boys can and that the girls do look after their parents when they grow old. On the eve of International Day of Girl Child, a few such parents told the Free Press that they are happy and content bringing up their only daughters.
Excerpts:
Never even thought about son
I am thankful to the almighty that he graced me with a daughter as my first child. After that I did not ever think of having a boy. My daughter, Ziya, is 17. She is a debater, a writer and a football player. I think that a home is not a home without a daughter. I have no particular love for boys. My daughter can and is doing whatever my son, if I had one, could have done. I believe that daughters do more for their parents than sons do. My father-in-law treats me like his daughter. There was no pressure on me to go for a second child.
- Tajwar Khan, fashion designer
Care two hoots for what others say
My husband Fazal and I wanted our first child to be a girl. And God fulfilled our wish. Our only child, Shifa, is 13 and is studying in Class 8. She is more than enough for me. I am very happy. As for societal pressure, we don’t allow anyone to advise us on what we should do in our personal life. Some relatives did comment, but we paid no attention. My mother-in-law has four daughters and she brought up my husband and my sisters-in-law with great struggle. She never asked me to go for a son.
- Smriti Shukla, social activist
No pressure
I am a businesswoman and my husband is a banker. My only child is a girl. Her name is Arna and she is 7 now. My husband and I have decided not to go for a second child. We are happy and satisfied with a single daughter. And we are not the only such couple in my extended family. One of my aunts, who lives in Mumbai, also has a single child, a daughter, who is pursuing her MBBS. There is no pressure from my husband or my in-laws to go for a second child. Often people want a son because they hope that he will look after them in their old age. But that does not always happen. Once they are married, the sons get busy with their own families. They have no time for their parents.
- Reshu Pandey, businesswoman
