First day of my summer break, shopping for little activities for the kids in case it rains, and once again I am confronted with an unequal world. Sexist toward our boys.
Why is it I have to spend 3 times more on crafts for my son? Why are stores dominated by things for girls? Why can't I go to Target and find nice clothes for my son, in the boys section that is so much smaller than the front-and-center girls section?
Of the 16 coloring books on a display at Michael's today, three were "boy themed" (shocker, Sponge Bob, Angry Birds or Superheroes, take your pick. You, boy, are only allowed to like throwing animals or attacking bad guys). The gender neutral (and much cooler) activities cost 6 times more. I can think of a hundred other themes that both boys and girls would like, where are those coloring books?
This sexism is not new, I noticed it immediately at one of my boy's first baby showers. He got hardly anything, whereas a close friend having a baby girl got TONS of great things (from much the same crowd). Someone actually said "well that's because girls are more fun to shop for!" Of course they are! You can actually FIND stuff to buy for them! My baby boy was just as special as all the girls out there, and deserved to be treated with equal respect, not like a second-class citizen.
At Easter he chose a really nice pink and white checked shirt, very obviously tailored for a boy. He loved wearing it. Once. He now refuses to wear it because somewhere along the way it has been communicated to him that he is not allowed to wear pink. He has become aware of a world in which he cannot wear what he wants to wear, and he is limiting himself as a result.
So I found him a few things, on my trip this morning. Some old-school marbles, a set of jacks, and an awesome activity book, each around $9. . . and a cross-stitch kit of a frog for $2. That little cross-stitch kit saved me from absolutely losing my mind this morning; someone somewhere knows that little boys like to create, too, and should be allowed to do so. To that person, thank you.
To America, I am a mother who is mad that our children are not being treated equally. Is it the biggest of problems? No, but it's a problem. I'm a woman, raising a boy and a girl, and I'm telling the world that the feminism pendulum has swung too far. Our boys are not being treated equally.
