I regret some of my parenting decisions, but I don't regret buying my sons dolls they could cuddle and care for. I don't regret the hours my sons spent make-believing with their sister and our wooden play kitchen, because, as we all know, men cook and eat, too. I don't regret dressing my daughter in her older brother's hand-me-down pajamas with blue and red stripes, because she loved them, and because girls can look fabulous in colors other than pink. I don't regret buying her Hot Wheels when she asked for them, or supporting her decision to wear pants last Easter because a skirt might interfere with her ability to be fully competitive in the front-yard egg hunt. I don't regret saying, "The rainbow belongs to everyone," each time a stereotype about "girl colors" and "boy colors" found its way into our conversations.
If anyone makes an issue about my child receiving this particular toy for Christmas, I am going to challenge that person. Because I would deeply regret missing an opportunity to point out how placing people in stupid boxes prevents them from experiencing all of their humanity.
And if I'm in the mood, I might also sing a horribly off-key version of this song. (If you listen, please don't miss the last verse.)
I don't assign a specific gender roll upon my daughter either, Suzanne. She loves Batman, so she gets Batman pjs and toys. When she wants to wear a pink dress, I dress her in a pink dress. Even at 2 years old, I let her choose.
ReplyDeleteI think that's great, Jessica, and that those kinds of choices do matter in the long run.
Deletewhy do you celebrate Christmas if you don't believe in Christ or have your kids believe in Santa?
ReplyDeleteI celebrate Christmas because I don't believe it is exclusively a Christian holiday. The real "reason for the season" is the natural occurrence of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year (a day which our family also celebrates with some lovely customs). Decorating with evergreens, hanging mistletoe, burning yule logs, feasting, and gift-giving all pre-date Christianity, as you probably know.
DeleteYes, the word "Christmas" does contain "Christ," but "Thursday" means "Thor's day," and I don't think one must believe in the literal existence of Thor to acknowledge Thursday as part of the calendar.
In short, we celebrate Christmas as a secular event. My kids love decorating the house, giving and receiving gifts, spending time with loved ones, and eating special foods such as candy canes and gingerbread. They also enjoy songs like "Deck the Halls," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and even "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Though we didn't teach them that Santa is a real person, they seem to think that Santa can be a fun character much like the ninjas from Ninjago (or, when they were younger, Dora the Explorer).
I hope this answers your question.
Very good reply. I do hope the intention of the questioner was polite...
DeleteHi Suzanne, I touched back on your post in todays post on my blog, hope you don't mind! :) Danica
ReplyDeletehttp://danicabridgesmartin.blogspot.nl/
Glad you found it helpful, Danica. I look forward to reading your post.
DeleteHi, I came across your blog as we are currently thinking of homeschooling. We live in the U.K and at the moment a campaign to stop big retailers (and little ones) promoting toys to just one sex is really gathering pace. They have managed to get a lot of the big names here to agree - ToysRUs, Tesco (big supermarket chain) to name but 2. May be worth starting your own over there! http://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/
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