I would have been fine with a house full of daughters, but sons are nice, too

My wife birthed five babies, and we didn't find out the gender of any of them before they were born.

Let me say three things about that:

(1) Just because we did it that way doesn't I mean I think anyone else has to do it that way. It was our choice for us. Your choice may be different, which is totally fine. Why do some people feel that their way is always The Right Way and that everyone must follow their lead? Or, conversely, that if someone makes a choice different from theirs, that's automatically a threat or a challenge to them? Seriously, this irritates me. In most cases for most things, it's OK that we can make different choices and co-exist. There doesn't have to be a "right" and a "wrong." Can we all agree on that?

(2) As I've often acknowledged, my gender guess was wrong every single time. I went 0 for 5 in my kid gender predictions, which is just staggering to me. That's like flipping a coin five times and  not calling it correctly even once. It's not impossible, I realize, and may be even more probable than I think, but still...how did I not get it right just one time?

(3) We had two girls before we had our first boy, and while I love my sons, I would have been fine with a house full of daughters.

It turns out that having sons is great and I love it, but by Baby #3, I was comfortable with all aspects of having daughters. Well, "all aspects" meaning those things pertaining to having daughters ages 4 and almost 2, which is how old Elissa and Chloe were when Jared was born. They're relatively uncomplicated at that age and I felt I had reached a certain level of understanding with them.

For example, I could change a girl's diaper in seconds. I had a pattern down. A system, if you will. Then suddenly God threw a boy into the mix and...wow. My wipey technique had to change drastically.

You can count on one hand the number of places on a baby girl where poop is likely to be found. But a boy? Suddenly there were folds on top of folds, and my Boy Diaper Changing Time ended up being roughly double what my Girl Diaper Changing Time was. It was traumatic at first.

Then there were girl clothes and hair ribbons and stuff. I learned how they all worked, and by the third kid I was pretty confident with them. Then along comes a male child and I had a whole set of new stuff to learn. It wasn't hard, but again, it took me out of my Kid Comfort Zone.

I also liked the idea that, when the girls became teenagers, I could refer them to their mother for all questions that might be characterized as tricky, hair-raising, or feminine hygiene-related. But with boys, I was suddenly going to be the one with the answers. That was alarming.

In the end, I love having kids of both sexes. It gives you a whole new perspective on people, personalities and parenting. And it contributes greatly to what is already a fairly high level of chaos in my house, which I honestly wouldn't trade for anything.

But had God decided to bless me with five daughters, you would not hear me complaining. Daughters are, broadly speaking, funny, considerate, loving and just a delight to have around the house. I love being a father of girls.

Boys, however, also have their advantages. Again, speaking very generally here and no doubt stereotyping, boys tend to be less emotional, less dramatic, and more apt to talk about sports. A lot of girls are like that, too, but again, I'm generalizing. And there's something to be said for having that element in your life when you're a dad.

In the end, we all accept whatever nature gives us in terms of kid gender, but I think it's better if we accept it willingly, with a smile on our collective parenting faces. You may want that first kid to be a certain sex, but it's going to be what it's going to be and you're charged with raising it no matter what, so just roll with it, baby.

Also, you first-time parents should feel free to see me if you want a diaper-changing lesson. After three girls, two boys and thousands of diapers, I'm telling you, I'm a virtuoso.

10 Reasons I Enjoy Having Daughters

My wife and I have three girls and two boys. I love 'em all, but this is what I like specifically about having daughters:

(1) The house always smell nice: Girls use all kinds of nice-smelling lotions, perfumes and shampoos, and the residual fragrance makes our house smell better. It's a nice perk, actually.

(2) If there's a delicate subject to be broached with them, it automatically falls to my wife: Not that I can't talk to my girls about anything, but really, when the subject is the three-letter word that starts with "S" and ends with "EX," or is anything to do with feminine hygiene, those are things best handled by Terry. And this is fine by me.

(3) They talk: And in some cases, they talk and talk and talk and talk, ad infinitum. But my point is, they communicate. My son Jared is a good kid, but his preferred method of communication is the Universal Grunt System. The girls use actual words, which as a marketing/PR professional I prefer.

(4) I have an excuse to watch girly shows: I kind of like "Dancing With the Stars." And "Pretty Little Liars." And just about any other show that's geared toward women (which is to say, 85% of television content these days). When someone calls me on it, I can just say, "Eh, Terry and the girls had control of the TV so I had to watch it."

(5) I can do a ponytail and operate a barrette: Well, sort of. I'm no expert, but my work in this area is passable. These are skills I obviously wouldn't have picked up had we had five sons.

(6) I get the opportunity to coach girls sports: That sounds kind of creepy on the surface, but what I mean is that I like coaching girls. They tend to be a little more compliant and coachable than boys, especially at older ages. Give me a team of 12-year-old female soccer players over their male counterparts any day (though if Jack keeps playing, I'll probably have a boys team to coach in just a couple of years).

(7) They like to cook and bake: I realize a lot of boys enjoy this, too (Jack being one of them). But generally speaking, girls get into this more than boys. The result is a variety of excellent desserts and other concoctions that I get to sample.

(8) Easier diaper changing: At least for me. My experience is that it's easier to clean and change a baby girl than it is a baby boy. And that's all I'll say about that.

(9) I learn new things all the time: Boy stuff I already know. I've been experiencing boy stuff for 42 years. But there's always something new to learn about girls. They surprise and fascinate me all the time.

(10) They really are Daddy's Little Girls: My wife has always said that our girls have me wrapped around their little fingers. She is, as is so often the case, exactly right. Maybe this is a bad thing, but I do enjoy spoiling my daughters when I get the chance.

COMING TOMORROW: 10 Reasons I Enjoy Having Sons