BOYS vs. GIRLS
A Parent's Point of View
"Aaaaakkkkkk!!! You got mud on my Barbie Dolls! You got cake batter on my G.I Joe!" Sugar and spice and everything nice...that's what little girls are made of. Rats and snails and puppy dog tails...that's what little boys are made of. Physically it is obvious to see the difference in boys and girls. It is even semi-obvious to notice the social and emotions differences. But when it comes to parenting boys and girls, it is pretty much the same. Oh don't get me wrong, there are some differences, but the love and adoration is still the same.
Society, in the past has stereotyped little girls into a frills and lace, prim and proper, almost doll like personification. Girls, at one point, were known for being the emotional, compassionate, care givers. Society, at one time, viewed little boys as "Tonka" truckin', dirt and mud lovin', ornery little monsters. Boys were typically seen as: adventurous, rough-housing, don't care about anything type of attitudes. Today we still see some of those characteristics. However, some of those listed have actually crossed over into the other. With having two girls and one boy in the house, I can tell you the cross over of characteristics is very evident.
My oldest daughter, you would probably classify her as a "tomboy"; does not care for all of the frills and lace. As a matter of fact, she hates having to "dress-up", unless it can be dress slacks or better yet, dress jeans. She has always been more adventurous than most little girls. She has been the one to climb trees, play in mud, and care for horses. However, as she is in the middle school now, she has taken an interest in cooking and in instrumental music. What is very nice is th...
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... oldest daughter. A lot of the same attitudes that my little sister acted out, I am now seeing in my younger daughter. However never having a boy around, having our son is a totally new adventure. I remember praying that God would send me a little brother. After seeing how my girls respond to some of the things their little brother does to them, I can see why I didn't have one. I probably would have tortured him.
As a parent, seeing the differences in my children are easy. People ask me if I love any of my children different from the other. That answer is easy. That answer is no. As a parent God blesses you with the gift of unconditional love. As a parent, sometimes you may have to offer tough love and other times words of affirmation. In any case, love and care for your children is one of the greatest gifts and responsibilities that God gives to us.
I noticed the girls’ toys engaged fine motor skills more than the boys’ toys did. The girls have several different types and sizes of dolls to choose from – however, this also makes dolls or items used with dolls (Barbie clothes, doll clothes, doll houses, Barbie cars, and doll furniture) over half of all the products in the girls’ section. This shows the stereotypical attitude that all girls like to nurture and will someday be expected to be mothers and the primary care giver for their children. Other toys I noticed that were very stereotypical were the child size vacuum, broom, and kitchen set. Even at this young age we teach girls it is part of their role to cook and clean.
Gender socialization between boys and girls have been a topic of controversy for years. With views varying from supportive to disproving, one general consensus can be drawn from either side: gender socialization is the foundation of how children are brought up and is the primary reason for how boys and girls view the world in different ways. In Michael Lewis’s “Buy That Little Girl an Ice Cream Cone”, the reader is given personal anecdotes about Lewis’s family vacation trip to Bermuda, followed by an event that shaped the way he viewed both his two young daughters and the socialization of parents towards their children. Society’s differentiation between how boys and girls should act and behave is the main indication that children are socialized
As a baby, parents want their child to begin moving around, crawl, and then eventually walk. Then, as they get older, they are expected to sit when going places and all day at school. They teach them the first couple years of their lives that it is okay to move around and then one day it switches and they are expected to sit all the time. Babies can also get away with about anything since people think it is just cute that they are even doing something. No matter what gender they are, they are allowed to cry, play with what they want, and talk whenever. But as children get older the expectations change. Boys are taught that it is not okay to cry because it shows signs of weakness. They are taught that they need to act strong and be respectful. They begin to act rowdy, loud, and joke around a lot. On the other hand, girls are allowed to show feelings, express their thoughts, be respectful, and be polite. They are usually quiet unless around other girls their age that they are friends with and then they begin to act loud and laugh a lot. As children get into their teenage years parents usually give them chores to do. In Kevin MacDonald’s article, he writes about how parents assign chores to their children based on their gender. Boys chores are usually to take the trash out, mow the lawn, and fix things around the house. Girls chores are to do household jobs such as cooking, cleaning, and doing the
First off, I will describe the role the toys are playing when it comes to the socialization process for boys and girls. The masculine wrestling action figures and construction vehicles are showing boy 's their gender roles. In the book, “You May Ask Yourself”, defines social roles as “the concept of gender roles, set of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female” (Conley, pg 130). In the store it is fairly easy for parents to find which part of the store will fit their kids gender roles. For parents with young boys, all they have to do is look for the blue in the store. When looking for the girl toys, parents just need to find the pink. Parents are actively doing gender in their child
That is, boys will customarily receive blue clothing or toys while pink clothing or toys will be for girls. “Children‘s toys and games are also differentiated on the basis of sex” (Diekman and Murnen 2004; Seccombe p.99). Through these toys or playing with these toys, boys and girls would eventually distinguish the differences between male and female; also, may strengthen, and perpetuate the traditional gender stereotypes. For instance, boys or men are expected to act and behave in ways that have been considered masculine or associated with masculinity (Seccombe p.104); “men are often assumed to be more aggressive, sexual, unemotional, rational, and task oriented than women” (Seccombe p.93); and thus, action figures, such as Superman, WWE wrestling toys, and Hulk are made for boys to play with. While girls or women’s roles are associated with femininity (Seccombe p.104); “women are assumed to be more nurturing, passive, and dependent” (Seccombe p.93); and so, cooking and baking set and baby dolls with bottle feeding and diapering set are made for girls, so, they could apply their nurturing and culinary skills when they get older and mainly do household chores. Personally, I believe these toys have both negative and positive influence on children’s socialization. For instance, playing with toy guns or military toy set with a knife may lead to early exposure to violence and aggression. However, some toys, such as Lego building set and blocks, arts and crafts have a powerful and influential influence on children’s thinking and
All children are different, and in order to have a healthy relationship with your child, you should adapt your parenting methods to fit his specific needs. All children differin fundamental ways, two of the most comprehensive being their temperaments and attachment styles.
...tty, sweet, and talk in a more gentle tone. If they were talking to boys they would use words such as tough, handsome, and talk in a more masculine voice. Although the toddler will not remember this, this could affect the way they view themselves as they grow older.
But then you can’t just determine one’s gender because of that, there are lots of girls who loves boys clothe or rather who loves being boyish, but are not gay and there are boys who actually behave feminine, have a tiny voice, loves to wear tight pants and they are still straight. In the reading “‘No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That!’: Parents’ Responses to Children’s Gender Nonconformity” by Emily Kane, she talks about how parents determine their kids ' gender and sex, how parents are the major teacher when it comes to gender and of their children, through clothes, toys and other things they purchase for them. They teach the girls to behave like girls, wear them pink dresses and the boy dresses as heroes: superman, batman… in this reading, some parents talked about how they are ok with their daughters behaving boyish and not ok with the boys playing with Barbie dolls. I ask what is the difference between boys and girls, there are so many things boys do and girls do too, there is Bill Gate and there is Christy Walton, there is Michael Jackson and there is Beyoncé, Messi and Alex Morgan. All I am saying is that everyone, men or women, boy or girl can also be great in life not minding their
Novelist, Christina Hoff Sommers, in her narrative essay, “The War Against Boys”, the essay explains of how boys are a year and a half behind girls in education. Sommers purpose is to convey the idea that girls are not treated as boys are when it comes to the classroom. She creates a dramatic tone in order to convey to her readers that boys and girls have a different mindset. She also arguers about how some of the blame is towards Carol Gilligan as well as organizations such as the National Organization for Women for creating a situation in which Obstacles on the path to gender justice for girls and boys are resented, both as the unfairly privileged sex.
in any pairing or girls playing with girls. The point brought up in this study
The behaviors that children seem to learn do have gender specific characteristics. Examples of male appropriate behavior includes: aggression, independence and curiosity. Female behaviors reflect the opposite of the male behaviors: passivity, dependence and timidity (Howe, 3). Parents have a strong impact on the sex roles that children acquire. If the sex roles are stereotypical in the home then the children will imitate the behavior that is observed in the home. Simple, parental behaviors such as who drives and who pays for dinner influence the children’s perceptions of sex roles (Seid, 115).
soft and kind like a female should behave. Parents would allow their sons to stay out late
It is always said that boys and girls are complete opposites as they grow. Girls are seen to be more timid and laid back in physical natures
In this era, males and females both uphold household duties. Children watch and learn from their environment. A boy watching his father care for an infant is going to want to imitate his father. Playing with a doll is simply following what he has seen his father do. Taking away the doll is taking away that child’s future as a nurturing father (Gioia, 2010). Many men feel that their male child playing with a doll is not teaching him to be tough and will negatively impact their future, when in fact the boy will learn how to care and use their imagination by playing with dolls (Epand). Females are often praised when they are gentle and nurturing, while boys are not- causing boys to r...
Some people believe that boys hard much harder without a male figure not around.Boys are much hard to raise than girl because you have to teach them to be a man (Gross)