A mother examines the ways in which her life might be different if she had 3 daughters instead of 3 sons.
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I recently read a great blog called The Great List of Things I Can’t Do Because I Only Have Daughters. It was by a father of two daughters who has taken a big baseball bat and punted out the park any suggestion that there is a long list of boy-only activities that he and his girls are missing out on. It made me think. As a ‘that’s it, no more’ mother of three young boys what is my list of special things that I will never ever be able to do? Sniff!
So I’ve racked my brain and come up with a list of stereotypically ‘girly’ activities to see where I sit with them. Here goes:
1. Go shopping. We have and the boys love choosing out their own outfits. Admittedly it is not a marathon session but that suits me as I am not a huge fan.
2. Do their hair. Ok there are no clips or pony tails (well, not so far) but there are specific requirements regarding style, straightness and cool spikes which require precise hair drying.
3. Play with ponies, babies, kitchens and not just cars. We have them all. Whoever made the decision in the past that cars were for boys and ponies were for girls has clearly never visited my house. From horse toys, to fancy dress and yes, even ‘My Little Ponies’ we are well stocked!
4. Watch a Disney princess movie together. We haven’t seen them all but in the words of Elsa from Frozen I can ‘Let it Go’ because I have lost count of the times we have watched that princess movie. We know all the songs!
5. Dance. We do, a lot. We love music.
6. Craft and bake. Yes drawing, painting, making, gluing, cakes, pancakes, bread…
7. Go for coffee and chat. We do this already and I look forward to continuing to do so as they grow.
8. Be happy and so proud of my family. I truly am.
9. Teach them to wear high heels. I concede I don’t and (probably!) won’t in the future but they are more than welcome to parade about the hallway in my shoes should it take their fancy!
10. Show them how to pluck, wax, shave every inch of their body hair. To be honest, this is a relief!
There is a difference here though between my list and the list my fellow parent blogger posted. Whereas his list ended on the bright note that, apart from multidirectional peeing, he was not missing out on anything with his family of girls (and I agree), there is a ‘but’ to my story.
It is cool for girls to like Spider-Man. It is trendy for them to wear blue. Parents love watching girls try out for traditionally male sports. But, while I don’t think it is right, there seems to be a short list of activities for my boys that, as yet, are not so socially acceptable.
1. To dress up too ‘girly’. I use this term very loosely but I suppose I mean to dress as a fairy, a princess or top to toe in pink – a little ‘salmon pink’ seems to be fine!
2. To paint their nails. Even if they think a colour would be cool what would their friends think?
3. To try out for traditionally ‘female’ sports. There are a few boys doing it but, for example, girls still dominate activities like ballet, netball and even some elements of gymnastics.
4. To show too much emotion or their soft side and risk being called a ‘wimp’. This one I have a real fundamental issue with and will defend to the end my boy’s rights to be able to talk openly and display their emotions. However there are many parents who hold quite different views in relation to raising boys.
If a father of girls risks his daughters never wearing a dress as they grow up because they played with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – unlikely! – I suppose I run the risk of my boys skipping through fields armed with a basket of baked buns on their way to a tea party, and what is wrong with that? More fundamentally the worry with regards to boys seems to be that by allowing them to partake in all that girls do I will somehow diminish their masculinity and make them gay. Surely we have come far enough to know that this is not a matter of choice. Ultimately I know my boys will be who they are meant to be and I hope that having a rounded upbringing will make them confident and strong individuals who are also emotionally connected and great fun to be with.
So, as to the great list of things I can or can’t do…I really do believe that if it is your choice and you are blessed to have a family then the experiences it will bring will be perfect for you. Differences are not dictated by the sex of the child but rather by the unique personality of the child themselves. It would seem I have proven what I already knew—I am indeed lucky to be a mother of boys!
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Originally published on LuckyMothersOfBoys.com
Read the article that inspired this post: The Great List of Things I Can’t Do Because I Only Have Daughters
Photo by amslerPIX / flickr
Similar to what Mark proposes above, I have a list of things I can’t do as I only have daughters (or sons).
NOTHING.
that age of gender is so close to over,,, why are we still trying to label boys or girls in this way.
BTW, sorry for the typos. GMP refreshes too fast, removing the words, and it always stresses me out that sometimes I don’t check the spelling enough to get it right before the whole thing goes away. It would be nice to have an edit feature, or a way to ensure you didn’t lose the thought. How I meant to say it is that Jim Crows laws are alive and well, just cjhanged for the most part from racial to gender issues. I color my nails for me, not for anyone else, just for my enjoymeent in seeing a happy bit… Read more »
the second most travesty that can befall any person is to not do anything they want,as long as it hurts no one else, because they don’t feel “allowed” to do something they want to that which they wish to do. Thee first most travesty is anyone telling them theey can’t do what theey want because there are some that don’t feel it’s appropriate. In the not too distant past, there were plenty of folks who wanted to just go to school. To dine at luch counters, to take a room at a hotel wheere all the other ballplayers were staying… Read more »
Seriously? It’s unacceptable for boys to do gymnastics? Have you SEEN the Olympics?! And ballet- not only are those guys seriously ripped, they get to hang out with and touch (appropriately) beautiful women all day! What could be better for a man!
I think it’s perfectly acceptable to paint their nails. I teach karate to hundreds of little munchkins, and while it’s not every day I see a boy with his nails painted (and it’s usually at the hands of older sisters), no one seems to look down on it. I sometimes did it even in high school, and while I am not a normal guy (not too many blacksmith, singer/songwriter senseis out there), I’m neither gay nor effeminate. Some people would ask me with slight disgust about it, but most people respected my confidence to be different. And it charmed the… Read more »
Totally agree, I see a few boys with painted nails and nobody seems to mind it.