I guess I just disagree. My husband would lie, steal and commit murder to protect his kids, without thinking much about it. And like LFL, I've seen many women without a spark of "maternal instinct." I think you just assume it's universal because you happen to have it.
I'm not saying we have to agree, I just think you are missing my point. Genetic defects occur. I've seen instances of wild/domestic females rejecting their young; I've seen breeding mares destroyed if they didn't 'get over it' and find their 'mommy gene.'
I'm not saying men wouldn't lie, steal, cheat, etc., to protect a child he knows is his... that falls under the realm of his honor and what he believes to be his.
The connection to the child comes through his honor. The connection a woman has to her child comes through her maternal instinct. In a woman, there is nothing higher than her maternal instinct; if a woman has no maternal instinct, I'd say she probably has other honor/loyalty issues as well. I also said, that because we are maternal/loyal, it can cause us problems in other areas of our lives... especially what men might view as honorable.
We don't respect males or females who mistreat or abandon their kids. But we tolerate it less from females.
