mockingbirdq | (no subject)

I'm trying very hard to raise Fox towards androgeny, in that anything he wants that is considered "female" we let him have, and we talk about stereotypes and how boys and girls are really the same. Still, other than a few baby dolls and a toy kitchen, he tends to stick to gender roles - including lots of "boys don't do that" or "boys don't look like that" (A photo of Kate Hudson with her long haired son Ryder nearly blew his mind last week. Which is funny since his own hair was long all summer;)

Every now and then he still manages to surprise me though. He's never showed any interest in girl clothing, but today he was watching "Card Captor Sakura" and started begging for her costume - a pink layered dress with frilly panties. I told him if that's what he wants to be by Halloween we can arrange it. Thank goodness Tomu isn't a macho neanderthal about gender roles.

Speaking of Card Captor, is it hilarious that he watches it in Japanese and still gets most of the plot? Today he was explaining to me that Sakura was in love with the boy wearing glasses but that he liked her brother (I swear I don't let him read my yaoi!) I asked him how he can tell who loves who, and Fox said because they smile and their faces get pink ;)

Now he says there are invisible puppies in our living room and they are chasing him. Gotta admit, Fox keeps life interesting...

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The result of my father insisting that I not 'act femiine' or use my gender as an excuse, was that I always believed that he was ashamed that I was a girl, and not a boy. It's still painful to this day.

See I was always encouraged to act more feminine and told "Girls can't do that" about any number of things. The result being that I have no respect for most women who fall within the gender ideal, including myself. I'm the only woman I know who beats myself up over wearing make up or styling my hair ;)

As I've gotten older, I've realized that extreme gender stereotypes are unhealthy for both sides and I've tried to just be comfortable with myself. That said, if there was one thing I learned in my educational pschology classes it was that the most resiliant and well adjusted people, male or female, display androgeneous characteristics that transcend gender constructs. I want that for Fox...

AWWWWWWW

SO ADORABLE :D

<3

Sad how ingrained and subtle the "boys do this" "girls do that" thing is in our society tho :(