I am the mom of a rambunctious and brilliant and challenging 4-year old son. He is busy trying to learn about the world all around him and testing out where he thinks he fits into it all. It is a struggle trying to keep him balanced when he is with his dad part of the time. His dad and I do co-parent well together for the most part but, my son has two different sets of rules and two very different ideologies that he has to constantly bounce back and forth between.
I worry about the message that little boys seem to get, that they need to be "tough!" I hear my son say things like: "Dad says I can't cry." Or he will question whether boys can like this music or that. I try on a daily basis to encourage him to "be just who he is and like what he likes," but worry constantly that my messages aren't sinking in.
I want to examine the messages that my son, among other children, hear in our modern media driven material world. I am so curious about what he thinks makes something appeal to either "boys" or "girls." I want to encourage my son's curiosity about people and differences and similarities, while fostering within him an attitude of acceptance.
I think that the differences that we all have from each other are beautiful. I hope that I can impress that admiration into part of my son's personal identity. Andre Lorde, a feminist and civil rights activist said, "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences."
Lets work together to start "Celebrating our differences!"
-Jenni
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