Sorry, baby girl, we don't plan on spoiling you

Despite what the whole world seems to be forecasting for our daughter, we do not intend to spoil her. I'm sure it's just a cutesy small-talk thing that you're supposed to say when you find out that someone is having a girl, but it's really beginning to irritate me.

If you give your daughter any extra love, attention, or material goods than you would your son, you are simply preparing her for a life of being taken care of. I'd like my daughter to rely on her brains to get ahead in life - not batting her eyelashes or acting coy to make everyone say "Awww!" and give her a new pair of shoes as a reward.

Even if spoiling a child wouldn't be harmful for the family as a whole (and for the child in particular), why are girls more worthy of this treatment than boys? Because boys are supposed to be responsible and take care of themselves and girls need to rely on others? Because you can dress up your little girl like she is property rather than a human being? Because you're supposed to be teaching your boys how to fix cars and appliances rather than fawning over them?

We have so far to go and I see no signs of things improving.