What makes a boy different from a girl? Too many things to count. It would be harder to find things that are similar between the two! Gender roles in modern day society are extremely strict. Now that I've put some thought into it, there have been a lot of social pressures that have helped form my personality (...or perhaps they've hurt my personality). Every boy wants to be the tough hero that saves the girl in the movies. If I took even one step out of the "box of masculinity," I would probably find myself to be an object of ridicule. For example, a boy from my school decided to try something new his junior year. Instead of taking Fitness or Cardio to fill his P.E. requirement, he took Dance. On the first day of class, he was instantly labeled as homosexual by the rest of the class, who were all females. According to him, they were even changing out in the open in front of him, until one of the girls (who knew the guy) told everyone else that he was completely heterosexual. Social norms caused the girls in the class to quickly assume his sexuality. Similarly, a discussion came up about whether or not you would let your son wear a dress. I am actually completely against it. As a male that experienced a significant amount of bullying in elementary school, I don't think it would be a good idea. If my child would continue to wear dresses going to school, he would, without a doubt, be teased. Even if he wanted to wear a dress, I would firmly state that dresses are for females only and that he shouldn't be wearing them. I think teaching my son the normal way to dress (according to society) is important. The boy from the TV show we watched in class was defended, but he and his parents also got a lot of attention from the media. Would you want to be put on TV with your child to be judged by the rest of the nation? I sure wouldn't.
I respect Your stance on the dress issue even though i do not know if i would handle it the same way but i have no idea how i would handle it. Itss a good thing i won't have to deal with that for awhile. I think everybody should conform to society to a point. That point is where you are able to walk into a job interview and get a job which would likely not be possible if you were wearing a dress. Showing your child how to be successful in life is a very important tool which will involve conforming to society up til a point but doesn't mean you can not be yourself. Also showing your son that there are rules he can not break will give him thhe discipline, an essential tool in life, to be sucessful and will build the foundation for him as a man. Its also important to let the child know that they can be creative without dressing like the other sex. When certain gender roles have so much power over you, you just have to take one for the team for your own sake. Its important to let the kid know at a young age that they will not have unlimited freedom which could lead to a disaster adult.
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