It’s
almost ridiculous really that this is something that comes up so often
in our everyday life. The division, the separation of what is acceptable
for each gender is really baffling to me. It seems to include
everything from what is appropriate
for little girls and little boys to what is appropriate for grown moms
and dads. And I’m just going to put this out there as well, skipping my
usual overly thought out soliloquy to just state hopefully the obvious, if
we cannot teach our children to see and accept
everything as a possibility, then how can we get to a place of peace in
this world.
When
I found out I was having a girl, my heart sank just a little bit. I
thought about how she would have to face certain obstacles in this world. I was also concerned because simply put, I don’t do
girly. I mean ok I did
have Barbies growing up and I do still paint my nails and get my hair
done on occasion but really, I’m not a girlie girl, if that is even
really a thing.
I pretty much loath dresses and shoes and make-up and pink. How was I
going to relate to someone who did? I guess I should have known better
really. Emma is a very well rounded person. She loves cars, dinosaurs, and
yes, even princesses. I pretty much fell to
the floor the other day when she said not once, but TWICE, “I’m a
princess!” And there I found myself spiraling down the sparkly pink rabbit hole
of jewels and fluffy dresses, collapsing into society's definition of what women "should" be. But I'm realizing that we don't all think that way and that's a good thing.
When we were visiting Emma’s cousin for a
“sleepover,” Emma was relctant to put on a princess dress. I’m not sure
if she was blinded by the glitter or what but she didn’t seem to be too
into it (which was FINE by
me!) To jump ahead to last weekend, we were at the baby store in
anticipation of Emma’s cousin arriving any day and low and behold I
look over my shoulder to see Emma jumping into the RACE CAR bed! Not the
Hello Kitty bed, not the Minnie Mouse bed, the
RACE CAR bed! She thought it was the best thing EVER! And, as we were exiting the store, I was so excited to see a little
boy, around Emma’s age, carrying a Frozen purse!
Shizah there is progress!
So
if we cannot bring our children to turn a blind eye to being judged and
accepting and loving themselves for who they are, then how can they
accept and love others. It’s that simple. I truly believe that by
teaching Emma to love what
she loves and respect what other people love that it will create a place
in her heart for tolerance and understanding of others.
I will most certainly let my kid hang out in the car bed at the
store and I am happy to see a little boy with a Frozen purse (a
fellow fan!) I will be glad when someone else shares their culture with
us and lets us share
ours with them.What
I am trying to say is that we have a wonderful opportunity to shape the
next generation, to teach them to smash gender boundaries and tolerate
nothing less than acceptance for any race/religion/ ethnicity! And I am
excited for the possibilities!
Emma excitedly checking out the large excavator while walking her baby.
Yesssss.... I cringe anytime someone tells Doug that "pink" is a girl's color. His favorite color is orange, but he likes lots of colors, including purple and pink. And I let him buy it. We have some Disney princess legos too and some tea sets. I let him pick out things that are interesting to him. Sure, we have plenty of trucks, trains and cars, but I don't see toys as inherently male or female. I would draw the line at Barbie, but that's more because I don't like the doll much.
ReplyDeleteYes! Toys don't have to be gender specific! We also let Emma pick out clothes even if they are labeled as "for boys." Just let them be who they are :)
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