In many homes, daughters are carefully trained and taught to cook, clean, pray, endure, and be responsible, while sons are sometimes excused with phrases like “Okunrin laada (a man is not meant for domestic responsibilities) or He’s a man”, this creates an imbalance.
Scripture instructs, “Train up a child in the way he should go”, not just daughters (Proverbs 22:6), reminding us that both sons and daughters need guidance.
When boys are not nurtured in responsibility, empathy, and godly leadership, they may grow into unkind, unfaithful and entitled men who unknowingly expect more than they have been equipped to give.
We see the effects around us, many women shoulder both emotional and practical burdens of family life; rising early, managing the home, nurturing the children, working, and still being told they “aren’t submissive enough.”
Quietly, some battle exhaustion and even depression under the weight.
Meanwhile, some men; never taught the beauty of service, sacrifice, or emotional strength may fall back into detachment, pride, entitlement or unrealistic expectations.
Yet Scripture calls husbands to love sacrificially: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
Love and responsibility were always meant to be shared, not one-sided.
This imbalance doesn’t just affect marriages; it shapes whole societies.
When sons are not raised with the same care as daughters, the cycle of strain, resentment, exhaustion and misunderstanding continues; women carrying loads they were never meant to bear, and men stepping into roles without the preparation to thrive in them.
But the Bible reminds us that both husband and wife are “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).
God’s design is partnership, not one-sided pressure.
Parenting today must reflect that truth. Sons, like daughters, need intentional guidance; taught to serve, to love, to respect, and to share responsibility with humility.
A son raised in godliness becomes a husband who uplifts rather than oppresses, while a daughter raised in strength flourishes beside such a partner. When we raise both well, families thrive, marriages reflect Christ’s love, and society reaps the fruit of wholeness.
Conclusion
The future is not secured by raising strong daughters alone, but by raising strong sons alongside them. When both are nurtured with equal care, homes are balanced, marriages are life-giving, and society is healed.
True parenting is not about preparing women to endure, but preparing sons and daughters to love, serve, and flourish together.
