Agle janam mohe bitya hi kijo...

A friend of mine told me yesterday how she had grown to agree with the social norm that sons are better and a must for parents. Now, I am a hard core feminist. Anything remotely biased against women gets me up and about and ready to fight.

She is one of two daughters to her parents and herself is the mother of a son and a daughter. She said that over years she has realised that only sons can take care of the parents. That parents cannot live with their daughters (post-marriage). That taking care of the parents is the duty of the son and his wife (rather than the daughter and her husband).
I could not disagree with this thought more and since it just so completely contradicts everything i stand for and believe in, I had to write about it.

I am an only child and my parents live in Jaipur which is a 5 hours drive from Delhi. I make it a point to visit them once every two months, if not more. I speak to my mother everyday and discuss a lot of things. Okay so am 27 and still need to talk to my mother everyday and when am upset and down. I love it! My mother is my best friend!

I think I take care of them as much as I can and I also think I do a decent job. I dont think it has anything to do with my being a girl. I think its about me as an individual and how I prioritize them in life.

The typical indian mindset that a girl post marriage leaves the parent's family and joins some other is all good and jazzy. But, we need to get over this hang up and realise that a daughter is also as responsible for her parents wellbeing. A boy also gets married and has a family and might not always be in a position to live with his parents, especially if he works in another city. Its an individuals choice and decision and has got nothing to do with the gender of the individual.

Image courtesy WeHeartit.com