As he pondered his fate of having only girls, a broad smile spread across the 58-year-old dad's face.

"Hmm, all I can say is that I have great insight into the female soul," said Stanley Jones, father of four children - all girls - from a marriage of 33 years.

"The hope was there to have a son or sons, but God blessed me with girls and I love them."

Jones, a school principal and church elder, doesn't regret having daughters; he just hoped for a son.

Bearing a male descendant has been a valuable legacy in many cultures, giving men the sense of posterity. Abraham and Isaac had two sons. Jacob had all of 12.

Sonship has been as important for common folk as for monarchs, preferring male heirs to their thrones. History knows this too well: King Henry VIII had the heads of two wives lopped off, one partly because of her inability to bear a son.

But is it so bad having girls, and what is it really like to raise little women?

"It's nothing out of the ordinary," stated Norris Simpson, father of four girls.

"I just dealt with situations as they arose. From early on, I established a good relationship with my children ... you know, be their friend, be part of their world, but still being in control."

Like other couples, Simpson said long before his wife was expecting, he had hopes of having children of both sexes.

"Having a balance - boys and girls - would have been just as OK. I think most people hope for one of each. I was hoping a boy would come first, so that he could look out for and protect his sister," he laughs.

mother of two

Latoya Allen, teacher and mother of two girls, is rowing down the same stream.

"Having a son first would have been good; he could take care of his sister, but I got a girl and then another girl."

Married for six years, Allen adds that her husband desperately wants a son, but she's not too enthusiastic about having No. 3.

"He really wants a boy. I think he feels a bit sad, especially when he's around his friends and their sons."

So badly he wants a son, he calls his second daughter his little soldier, she told Saturday Life.

"Sometimes the girls watch football with him, but it doesn't last very long. After a while, they become distracted and want to do girly things."

Although he has no regrets and is proud of his girls, Simpson, like Jones, did admit that he harbours desires for a son, which he says is only natural for a man.

"The longing was there. My field of work (fleet outsourcing and construction site services) is a man's world and I would have loved to pass on my knowledge to a son, but ... I didn't short-change my girls though," he said. "I took very good care of them and made sure they got their education. Now, they're on their own and doing very well."

Allen explains that not having a boy in the household does not take away from her husband loving his daughters fully.

"They get along very well. He's very loving with them and they love their daddy," Allen said. "In spite of what you want or prefer, when you're a parent, you're just happy your babies are healthy."

One woman, who grew up without brothers, testifies to the benefits of an all-girl setting.

"Growing up with only sisters was fun. Being the youngest of three girls, I always got the hand-me-downs, which wasn't always great (I would always want my own, new stuff), but they had good taste. I didn't have to worry about having an outfit or shoes for any occasion," said the 31-year-old who requested that her name not be published.

"My sisters were, and still are, my best friends. We shared everything. Whatever problems I had, they knew - teenage stuff, boys, etc," she added. "They were always very protective of me, so I always felt secure with them. I didn't miss having brothers because I had loads of cousins who were perfect substitutes."

However, Simpson says things did get hectic at times.

"It was rough on some days, especially when the girls entered their teen years. Peer pressure came into play and along with it came the demand for the latest fashion," he recalled. "They were conscious of how they looked and all that, so they took much longer to get ready. Many days I had to sit and wait for them or simply decide to drive away."

be responsible

He said he believed that taught them to be responsible, especially with time.

Jones adds: "Sometimes the intensity of living in a household with so many females gets a bit too much. If we're to go out somewhere, I make sure I'm ready first because they take a while to prepare themselves. But then I sit and wait and wait, and that gets annoying. But I coped.

"I accepted the negatives along with the positives and dealt with it. At the end of 33 years, I love my girls."

He hopes that when the grandchildren start coming, a little boy will be in the mix.

With all the frills, the hair clips, shades of pink, long waits and hair combing, can an all-girl family be truly complete?

Simpson said the experience has been a blast.

"My wife loved them, I loved them and we were quite happy," he explained. "They are beautiful girls and I'm proud of them."

And what about the myth that only weak men produce daughters? Research has shown that science can do so much and no more. Chromosomes ultimately determine the sex of a child.

Though having children of both sexes may be ideal for many couples, for some, the pitter-patter of tiny X-chromosome feet is what they're blessed with. All the better, say some: More princesses to love the king.