A woman has spoken up about the reality of gender disappointment after finding out she was expecting a fourth son. Stay-at-home mum Erica Swinehart secretly longed to have a baby girl in the family and is now mourning the fact she will only ever have a daughter-in-law.
The 24-year-old has sparked discussions online after speaking out on the taboo subject in a viral TikTok video. Some parents have praised her for shining a light on a topic they feel they're unable to share, while others have bashed her honesty and explained how it could affect her children later in life.
What do you think about gender disappointment? Let us know in the comments.
Since Erica's fourth son arrived healthy and happy, she admits the disappointment has gone away.
"I think others are afraid to admit they have gender disappointment because you can get lots of backlash for it," she explained.
"I don't believe it will affect my son in the future one bit. I'm very open and honest with my boys about everything.
"I want them to know it's okay to have those kind of feelings but it doesn't mean they'll last forever or make you love your kids any less.
"My husband is extremely thankful for our healthy boys as am I, however he did want a baby girl as well.
"I just wanted to enjoy my last pregnancy and now he's finally here I couldn't imagine not having him, he's perfect. All the gender disappointment just goes away.
"It doesn't bother me to have another son. I'm mourning the fact I may never have a little girl."
In her video, Erica, from Florida, US, tearfully explains how she's sad she'll always be the mother-in-law, and how he'll never get to go wedding dress shopping, or witness a child of her own go through the physicality of pregnancy, and finds it heartbreaking.
She added: "Gender disappointment for me is mourning the fact that I may never have a little girl, however, it can be different for others.
"Any parent or grandparent can experience gender disappointment.
"It's important to speak out on it so others don't feel alone or that they're the only ones who feel that way.
"It's a real thing and it doesn't make me love my children any less.
"I spoke out about this because I saw so many controversial videos about it and people were so rude and ruthless about the whole situation.
"I wanted to let others know it's okay to be disappointed, it's normal.
"This is our last baby. My husband does not want any more children, however we may adopt in the future.
"I've thought about having more later on in life since I'm still so young but that's to be decided.
"I got a lot of parents who were thankful I was speaking out because they've felt the same way.
"I did receive hate too, but that was mostly from those who don't have children."
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