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Gender-Neutral Environment What is That?Sep 27 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Boys grow to be Fathers let them play with dolls. Gender-Neutral Environment, what does that mean to me? Just another thing to worry about: like should my toddler be potty trained by two? It is like should my son play with dolls? Of course he should, he could be a father someday. This gender thing is something I hadn't give much thought until now and I have a thirteen-year-old, and eight-year-old and a five-year-old. The thing about this is all of my children are boys. How can a family with all boys grow up in a gender-neutral environment when I am in the minority as their mother? Lets think about this for a moment: gender obviously means the sex of a person being either male or female and the word neutral means (according to the dictionary) not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy. What do these words mean together to the layperson or new parent? Now I am curious about this subject and will get to the bottom of what been gender neutral really is. In my search for more information on gender neutral parenting I came across karma sutra stick people, expert advice on male children wearing nail polish, domestic violence, and everything else you can image. Gender neutral to me is not making children act a specific way because the are one sex or the other. I was raised with three brothers and no sisters. So I really didn't live in a gender-neutral environment, had to be as tough as the boys because they were older and stronger. My mother tried to get me to act like a girl but I insisted on being a tomboy and on occasion my brothers played dolls with me. I remember one time when my brother Joe sewed a dress for one of my dolls. My mother taught all of us kids how to clean house and cook regardless of sex. She also expected up to work in the tobacco patch, strawberry patch and garden. Was I raised in a gender-neutral environment? The answer is yes and no. Am I raising my boys in a gender-neutral environment? I hadn't even thought about it before today, but yes I try to. When Dillon was a toddler he had a baby doll and I have painted Derek and Daniel’s fingernails. All children are curious about the role the people around them play and exploring those roles is an important part of finding their place in the world. I think condemning a child for exploring role playing is damaging to their self esteem and natural curiosity. I know at our house my husband and change roles sometimes. Scott cooks even better than I do and I love to weedeat and work in the yard. My Final Thoughts Children should be taught that their sex is not an obstacle to what they want but an asset. Regardless of their sex children should be encouraged to strive to reach their goals and pursue the things that please them, teaching good morals a long the way.  |
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