"I hope your daddy owns a shot gun" vent

emmyloustu · March 2011

People have been saying this (or something to that effect) a lot lately and it drives me crazy. I never know what to say and it makes me uncomfortable. I know it is just one of those "things" people say to parents of girls, but I hate it. No point really, just a vent!

sommerrayne · March 2011

People are idiots and love to say SOMETHING and that's a popular thing to say. Believe me, baking the 2nd girl seems to seal the deal on sexist comments. I always tell them, "Well yes he does but so will the girls so I'm not too concerned". Imagine THOSE looks!

Mrs.Reem · March 2011

I'd be a little disturbed by that comment as well. eek.

schmoodle · March 2011

Wow, I've never heard that (granted, I don't have a girl but don't just mean haven't heard it said to me, I've never heard it period). Is the implication that he'll need a gun to ward off suitors? Whatever the reason, it's creepy.

epphd · March 2011

Ugh, obnoxious!! My niece is one of those freakishly beautiful 10 year olds, and my SIL arranged to have her sell girl scout cookies at her office (only those interested in cookies had the niece visit.)

After the visits, my SIL's coworker emailed her and said how beautiful her daughter was. My SIL thanked him and said "yes, we think she's pretty great." The coworker then wrote back and said "Well I hope you and your husband have a plan for when she becomes a teenager" (or something to that extent) and my SIL wrote back "Oh yes, we're digging a moat ha ha ha." They guy then wrote again and said something like "Well I'm not sure that will be enough!"

Indifferent

Seriously? Who DOES that? Creepy!!! People are weird with little girls and beauty, and I agree - it's like the earliest stages of objectification.

One of the many reasons I'm glad Sam is a boy

BoxTer · March 2011

Haven't heard that one before! DH does joke that he'll never be able to retire being married to a shopper like me and also having a girl.

Magoy · March 2011

I hear that a lot down here and I personally wouldn't find it too offensive. But, I'm from the country and my dad did have a shotgun. Not for that reason, of course! But, it didn't stop him from joking around w/ the boys that came to our house that he had one in the attic. (But seriously, where I grew up, everyone had one... how else did you get rid of the coyotes?)

It's just a way of saying you have a very pretty girl.

The email conversation that the PP mentioned... where the guy goes on and on... now, that's creepy!

Here's a funny story about the shotgun comment: My friend is pregnant with her first baby girl (two boys already.) They had the OB write down the sex of the baby in a sealed envelope for them to open later that night. His message said something like, "Daddy better get a shotgun...it's a GIRL!"

Cassian · March 2011

It's just a really common thing to say when someone has a girl. It's not a big deal, just the popular thing. I joked with DH when we found out we were having a girl that he needed to invest in a shotgun. And yes, it harkens to that image of the father on the porch chasing off the boys with a shotgun.

dana316 · March 2011

It honestly doesn't bother me that much. People just feel like they have to say something when a little girl is pretty.

My DH is a BIG guy, and everyone loves to joke about how Caroline will never get to date because everyone will be afraid of her enormous Daddy, or how he won't need the shotgun because he's so big.

Again, people have to say something. I married a gym rat (who is naturally big guy to boot), and I'm totally used to people talking about how big my DH is and how pretty my daughter is. I tend to just smile and move on...

yankee42 · March 2011

wow! i live in the south and i've never even heard that! and believe me, i live around a lot of rednecks

we just get a lot of "good thing she has two older brothers to scare away the boys", and "daddy is gonna have his hands full with her"..i think i would be a little shocked if somebody said that to me! haha

WhiteysWifey · March 2011

sommerrayne:
People are idiots and love to say SOMETHING and that's a popular thing to say. Believe me, baking the 2nd girl seems to seal the deal on sexist comments. I always tell them, "Well yes he does but so will the girls so I'm not too concerned". Imagine THOSE looks!

It doesn't bother me: We tell people that she's getting locked in the tower in a few more years (she sees boys and stops in her tracks to smile and say hi to them and she's not even 1.5!)

JillRock96 · March 2011

With three girls, we hear this constantly, and honestly, I have never found it offensive (which is surprising, since I'm very anti-gun). We even joke about how DH will have a shotgun, but no bullets, to sit on the porch and chase away all the guys that come to the door. I think people just have to say something to indicate that they think baby girl(s) will grow up to be beautiful, and it is a common saying.

laura1 · March 2011

schmoodle:
Wow, I've never heard that (granted, I don't have a girl but don't just mean haven't heard it said to me, I've never heard it period). Is the implication that he'll need a gun to ward off suitors? Whatever the reason, it's creepy.

Ditto this! Although, I do have a girl. So that either means that it is not a popular thing to say in Massachusetts, or that people don't think my DD is cute? Personally, I think my DD is adorable, so it must be that it is not something people say around here Wink