My topic is Masculinity and Femininity.
I always keep things equal when it comes to my belief in raising children. I am not a fan of separation of rules or privileges.
The basics are:
females
-grow breasts
-have a vagina
-during puberty begin to menstruate
males
-have a penis
-during puberty go through voice change
After this I drew a blank lol. I mean when we are born unless you SEE the physical difference, how else can you tell?
We all have ten fingers and toes, pair of ears, a nose, a mouth, pair of arms and legs, an ass (yes I said that) and well you get the picture.
Of course you throw in physical built and emotions but in the grand scheme...at birth we are all the same.
So this masculine and feminine thing then comes from what? Teachings, Environment, Nature, Emotions or Thoughts?
Does it make you any less of a male to not play or even like sports? Is a female always suppose to like to play dress up and wear makeup?
Must all males be able to fix things and like a not so well kept room?Are females really always emotional about everything? Is being a male a pass to having more than one person in their life at a time and why are females sluts if they do the same?
Are males really better leaders? Do all females want to have babies?
So many questions, so many ways to answer.
My daughter commented to me the other day in a sharing our day moment about how grateful she was that her father and I raised her in a non gender stereo type box. That she is grateful she has had all the same opportunities that the boys around her have and had. That she appreciates having so may experiences whether it was with choices in her clothing or in her toys or in the sports she played.
That she feels blessed because now at almost nineteen (19) years old her life opportunities are endless.
I have said this many times before...let children be children. Let them explore your daughter playing with those legos can sharpen those skills for her to become a great Architect, and your son playing with her kitchen set can bring forth the next Wolfgang Puck or Emeril.
Stress free parenting!
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I just let them be. Let them figure out what they liked on their own. I felt that it was more meaningful if they did what liked and were in interested in.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. And I have something else to add: We also shouldn't put expectations on ourselves with regard to our approach to parenting. I'll explain: I am far from a girly-girl, and, I'm not going to lie, I panicked when I found out K was a girl because I was used to having a boy. For months I worried and stressed that I would not be a good mom to a girl because I didn't indulge in typical girly things...
ReplyDeleteWell, K is only 6 months now, so who knows what she'll end up liking, but one thing is for sure: I love and accept her -- all of her -- no matter what.
(And by the way, we have a few things in common with Wolfgang...for one, Scott is now a professional chef; and, second, Wolfgang and his wife and Scott and I share a wedding anniversary of 07-07-07.)
I love this post, Mari!
Courtney, thanks for support always appreciate ;). I will be so much fun for you to see your little lady come into her own wait and see. My lil mama was and still is a joy to see expand her wings in all directions, I love her sense of style and freedom of expression. A very refreshing part of my life in this world where so many boxed views exist.
DeleteI can agree with a lot from this post. Even though I'm far from being a parent anytime soon, I think it's right to just let your children have open minds about about things and to follow their own paths instead of being dictated into believing they have to live and act a certain way to fit the role of being female or male. :)
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