The hardest question that I have ever tried to answer logically is “Who is better- Mother or Father?” I had been asked this question several times when I was a kid. Whether or not this is a ritual in my country, people often ask young children this question just to see which one of the parents the kid endears the most.
I wouldn’t be taken aback to hear a child choosing any one of their parents to answer this question just by judging whom they like more. In fact, I have done the same thing too. Kids often take into account which of their parents spend more time playing with them or who buys more chocolates and chips to declare that parent as the best. However, being a grown up, I could never find any logically suitable and well defined answer to state why one of the parents should be better. I would definitely altercate if any grown up with sufficient intelligence claimed to know the answer.
It is actually worthless to reckon which one of the parents is better just by considering some of their attributes. Nevertheless, every parent, whoever they are, has the same equally good human nature, which is boundless love and devotion for their children, which they tend to express in different ways.
Who are parents: Parents are the two people, father and mother, from whom a child is biologically descended. They have to bear the duty of partnership that is to take care and rear the child as its guardians. Parents are invaluable and irreplaceable. Both of them are closer to the child than anyone else in the world. Their affection is incomparable and immeasurable. Whether they are separate or remain together, parents have only one immutable love, and that is their children.
While it is impossible to answer the aforementioned question with a well justified statement, it is surely possible to sum up a few key differences between the usual characteristics and roles of a father and a mother.
Comparison between Father and Mother: The differences between a father and a mother is often identified by their characteristics, their roles in the family and their interaction with the children.
In almost all families, the father is generally regarded as the head of the family who is responsible as the breadwinner with the duty to take care of all the basic needs of the household. In addition, it is the duty of the father to replenish the supply of everything in the house to maintain a smoothly running family. Being the head of the house, fathers impose strict rules and regulations onto the children, which has to be properly abided by, to develop the children’s morality. Fathers thus also retain the right to punish the children in case of any disobeyal or misdoings.
On the other hand, the mother is the supervisor of the house and takes care of all the functions of the house. Mothers have the prime duty to nurture and raise the child. In most modern families, mothers also work outside to earn money besides managing the household. Mothers also assist the father in making correct decisions about the family and remind him of duties he has to perform.
A Father is usually stricter and tries to keep an eye on every activity of his child. Father also offers physical protection by escorting his family wherever they go. A father is often calm and allows the child to fall, get hurt, and then stand up again while learning something. In contrast, a mother is more soft-hearted, friendly and compassionate, and pampered about her child. She is very worrisome and always worries that something bad might happen to her young. A mother can easily identify the problem of her child by observing its mood. She is more nurtural and facilitates the sharing of inner feelings, thus offering mental peace and security to her child.
In the case of interaction, a father is more associated with the development of maturity of the child. It is the father who teaches the child to be a person – witty in mind, brave in actions, generous in heart and stronger in strength. Fathers have a great variety of experience and expertise in different fields, which is very important and helpful to shape the child’s life. Fathers advise their child, guide them in every aspect and show them the reality of the world. Fathers are often more practical. They offer more activities to the child and teach them different tasks to make them more independent. A child learns to walk outside of the home by holding it’s father’s hand. Father is the one who introduces the child to the outer sphere of the world.
Conversely, a mother is more associated with building up a child’s self-esteem. The mother teaches the child everything after it is born. Every child learns to walk holding the hands of its mother; learns to talk by looking at its mother’s lips and by trying to imitate her. The mother is the one who always understands the child’s troubles and extends her magical hands to help. A mother’s arms are open whenever her child needs a hug. Her heart always understands whenever her child is in sorrow and is in need of a friend. Her gentle eyes become stern when her child needs a lesson. Mother is the one who inspires the child and teaches it to dream the future; whose strength and love heals the child, helps it to fight back and build up the wings to soar.
Conclusion: Mother and father work together to raise their young; one offering something that the other does not. Mother’s love towards her child is never easily shaken and father provides limitless care and support. Therefore, it is impossible to distinguish which one of the parents is better. Together the mother and father create a perfect natural balance in raising up a child as a good, successful, ingenious and accomplished human being.
By Mohammad Farhan Alam
