^{Originally published June 16, 2013 on BabyCenter.com}

It’s a girl!

My wife and I got our anatomy ultrasound for the upcoming newborn this week, and all signs point to her being a little girl. We announced it today to her family through the clever use of cupcakes filled with pink frosting.

Once I decided that I wanted children, I knew that I wanted both a son and a daughter at some point. The relationships that a dad has with both is too special for me to want to pass up.

My son, at least up to this point, is a little mini-me. I see a lot of my own strengths and, unfortunately, a lot of my own weaknesses, in him. I am going to do my best to push him along life’s path and hopefully give him the opportunity to be better than me in every way possible. A boy is somebody I can roughhouse with, burp in front of, and try vainly to explain that it’s not polite to stick your hands down your pants in public.

A girl is…what, exactly?

Well, that’s something I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll find that I can roughhouse with her and throw footballs at her head, too. Or maybe I’ll be much more delicate with her and protective about her. I don’t know where exactly the gender differences lie when it comes to parenting, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon.

Traditionally, dads seem to be more protective of their daughters than their sons. I don’t know if this is a deep-seated bit of sexism or if there’s something in a dad’s head that makes them uber-defensive of their little princess. But I get the feeling that I’m going to wind up being the defensive kind of dad. Hopefully I’ll balance it well and not go all Batman on whatever punk breaks her heart in her teenage years and threaten him in the middle of the night (while wearing tights, of course – it’s not necessary for the job, it’s just the way I roll).

I see a lot of pressures for girls that don’t exist for boys. I’ve already been pretty outspoken on how much I hate that feminism has become a four-letter word and how Disney princesses are ruining good entertainment, and those are just two of the pressures that girls face that boys don’t have to. Maybe that’s why dads are so protective of their daughters – there are just so many more factions out there designed to tell a girl that the way she looks, thinks, or feels is WRONG and needs to be fixed via a new product, cream, or treatment.

Luckily, I already know that the answer for the problems that my daughter will face happen to be the same for what my son will eventually come across: “Be proud of who you are, and tell anybody who wants to change you to go sod off.” Or something along those lines.

For now, I’m just going to look forward to meeting this perfect little girl when she arrives. The great news for her is that she’s got not only loving parents, but also a big brother who’s going to be looking out for her from Day One.

_{Featured Image: Sarah Brooks}