Event today: Two 12 year old's in our pool, one girl and one boy. The boy challenged the girl to a one lap race (down and back) in a 10 meter pool. Girl has had training, the boy a klong swimmer. Wall start, no dive. Half way back on the second leg, he quit with bubbling excuses about stinging eyes etc. He was a body length behind.

His Father only commented..."not a serious race, she's only a girl...". He was the Father of the girl also, not the same wife. They are Thai people.

I asked him what would have happened if his daughter lost. Answer again...."no problem she's a girl..." No congratulations from him at all for his daughter's achievement.

With my farang thinking, I would have laid into the daughter (if mine) just as much or more than a son if she quit, because she'll have to work harder throughout her life than a man to gain recognition. Today, even from her Father, she received no recognition at all one way or the other, and the son smiled through it all, and the daughter who was looking for a nod from her Dad got nothing.

I have no idea if this warped theme repeats itself daily with Thai families country wide in similar circumstances, but I have a feeling it does, as it also does in of most of Asia.

As long as I draw breath I'll never give in to thinking like that and for what it's worth I told the Father that, he packed up and left with a frown. Screw him! Pete

I dislike the use of those terms boy child and girl child - where and when did they originate ? and what's wrong with just saying boy or girl ?
The child part is taken as granted in the context used.
Next thing you know it will be boy-adolescent or girl adult....

Back to your point though Pete - for it's often the case that girls get a raw deal in many countries with perhaps China amongst the worst with their one child policy and what can happen if its the wrong gender.

It appears China's one child policy is about to end. Pete

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas ... 2010-03-18

That is the reason why asia is different from the west, because of no farang thinking. Every place have there own reason. Except them as it is. What about sky burial in tibet?

Good example of the 'Little Prince' syndrome. Girls are simply viewed as future concubines or something to be sold into marriage at some point later. I could get a lot of milage out of this one. That guy Pete is probably down the soapy with his boss after work before he goes home anyhow. The cycle keeps going round and round. No wonder the boys are out of control, they can do no wrong, all starts at home with the family.

Ah, missed this mistake but way past the edit time so have to post this.

I wrote in my last post "That guy Pete is probably down the soapy....." and that could be read the wrong way or the wrong senario could be infered, wasn't suggesting that our fellow poster prcscct (Pete) goes down the soapy after work.

Was talking to Pete about that guy in his post, slightly ambiguous perhaps. Should say "Pete, that guy in your post is probably down the soapy....." or should have used other punctuation.

Not even had a beer yet today.

Probably why!!

I saw this with Korean friends. They would come over, smart, hard working people, but let their son run rampage. This was the sons years 5 - 10. He'd pull all the cushions from the couch, go into the kitchen and pull everything out of the cabinets, etc etc. His parents wouldn't say a word.

At 15, running with his buddies, again his parents said nothing, he got in a argument over a pack of cigarettes with some other kids and shotgunned them, killing two. Now in prison for life tried as a adult.

The daughter was always kept quiet and now she is a honors grad from college.


edited for spelling, my fingers worked faster than my brain

Bloody hell, will you please stop bothering me while I'm getting rubbed and scrubbed! Pete