In some families, a certain division of parental love is especially evident. So, boys are drawn to their mothers, and girls are considered "father's" daughters. There are very specific psychological explanations for this phenomenon, which are based on a certain competition between a daughter and a mother, as well as on the hopes that mothers place on their sons.
Women's competition
No matter how prosperous the family is, there will be some kind of competition among the female half for the attention of the male part, obviously or invisibly. The daughter's need for the care of her father is especially clearly visible, and the girl's mother certainly claims this very care. In modern life, when parents work late, and the head of the family may even be busy seven days a week, it becomes difficult to give everyone the same amount of love. Therefore, there are often cases in which a wife is jealous of her husband for her own daughter, and this, in turn, introduces an unpleasant imbalance in their relationship.
This also includes general social competition. For example, in the company of men, women often seek to attract the most attention and try to maintain their popularity. This allows them to feel needed, desired and in demand. At the same time, the mother may have the opinion that, against the background of her young daughter, she will seem less interesting and beautiful. This means that the daughter potentially deprives her of someone else's attention and encroaches on demand.
Such situations practically do not arise in relations with sons. The woman does not feel a rival in the boy, on the contrary, rather, he provides her with additional "male" support. A son for a mother is not a competitor, but a source of love and opportunity.
The only man
In a situation where a woman is left alone with a child, it is the son who can become a kind of "replacement" for a non-existent husband. And here a psychological substitution often occurs, when all unfulfilled love is directed towards the boy. At the same time, the woman does not cease to feel the need for a life partner, but stops looking for him, starting to concentrate exclusively on her son. For the daughter, such feelings are impossible, because only in this case the husband is replaced by the son, and love for the boy is transformed and intensified.
Hope for future help increases attachment to the son. Thinking about old age or simply difficult life moments, it is much easier to imagine a successful son as a support than a daughter. It is believed that it is easier for a man to provide his mother with financial support, and therefore it is more logical to count on him.
Old traditions
For many centuries in a row, the way of life was such that the sons almost always remained to live in the parental home, and the daughters were obligatorily married. Having legalized the relationship, the young woman moved to her husband and became part of his family, leaving her home forever. So it happened that the sons were perceived as something constant and unchanging, but the girls became more of a burden, since they served their parents with help only before marriage. In addition, it was necessary for them to prepare and give a dowry, which led to not always feasible material costs.
However, no matter what patterns exist, mothers love their children regardless of gender, and each specific life story has its own characteristics.
