23/02/2026
When a child is born… let’s rethink the questions we ask ...
Recently, I was blessed with a child. Galatni Waaqayyoof haa ta’u. It has been a joyful and emotional time for me and my family.
But since the birth, I have been asked the same kinds of questions again and again.... by relatives and friends. These questions may seem normal in our community, but I believe they are issues we need to reconsider.
The first question almost everyone asks:
1️⃣ 👉 “ ?” (Is it a boy or a girl?)
Instead of asking about the health of the mother or the baby, the focus immediately becomes the child’s gender.
Why does it matter so much?
A child is a blessing.... whether boy or girl. When the first concern is gender/sex, it can unintentionally suggest that one is more valuable than the other.
Then comes another question:
2️⃣ “ ’imaa 40 moo 80?”
(Is the child’s epiphany ceremony on the 40th day or the 80th day?)
Indirectly, this is another way of asking the baby’s gender. In Orthodox religion, the 40th day is associated with a boy and the 80th day with a girl. Instead of simply celebrating the child’s arrival, the conversation again circles back to gender.
3️⃣ 👉 “ ’e?”
(Did you win or were you defended?)
This question carries a deeper issue. In some cultural expressions:
If you have a boy, it means you “won.”
If you have a girl, it means you were “defended” or did not win. But why should childbirth be seen as a competition?
A child is not a trophy.
A child is not a victory or a defeat.
A child is a blessing.
Parenthood is not about winning or losing. It is about responsibility, love, sacrifice, and raising a good human being.
Let us celebrate children for who they are, not for their gender.....whether they are boys or girls.
Let us raise daughters with pride and sons with humility.
Let us remove the idea of “winning” and “losing” from something as sacred as birth.
In reality, when a child is born healthy, we all win.
