Modoc wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2024 5:03 pm
There are a lot of great points in this discussion, but one I would like to focus on in particular. That being that it would be okay to allow younger boys to wear girls' clothing, but at a certain point in time, they would need to be weaned off the more girly/frilly aspects of the clothing and directed toward items deemed more masculine, including of course, skirts and dresses of plain design if they should so desire. While I understand that the idea is to protect the boy from the scorn of society, I think a better approach would be to teach the child to be fearless in the face of the scorn. One of the hardest things to learn and practice is fearless individualism. It is bigger than clothing choices but definitely includes clothing choices. Telling a developing child that, at some point, they have to learn to be like everybody else when they have been enjoying being themselves can be very damaging to their developing sense of self.
This is tantamount to breeching from the 16th century, all the way to the very early 20th century. I don't think I need to explain why I prefer the alternative in your very same post — that children should embrace their own individuality in the face of mockery from simpletons whose opinions are worthless and ignorant, but we should note that some kids simply are more sensitive to scorn than others, and we are talking about children, here. Young minds tend to take what's said to them to heart — so much so, that it can have a profound impact on their psyche growing up.
I'll be the first to admit that this is wild-eyed idealism and easier said than done. But that doesn't mean that parents can't unlearn or at least look at some of the habits of their upbringing and be part of raising children who are comfortable with themselves throughout life.
This is what angers me about the world and the supposedly "mature" majority. Too many people don't want to stop and be introspective about their own childhood, and prefer to just impose their own habits and beliefs on to children without considering if these things are even worth inheriting in the first place.
I hate adults, in spite of me being one.
Dave wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2024 5:40 pm
Last year I overheard a mum taking about her sons part in a play, and he was excited to be wearing leggings
; her comment to the other mum was that he would look silly because he was a boy (probably he was around 7yrs old) But I know that boys at that school wear them for sport in the winter...
Someone probably should've told Mum #1 that men and boys have a history of wearing tights — a very similar type of leg wear, yet not the same as leggings, and aptly call her out for making such a "silly" statement. Absurd that boys would look "silly" in something just because girls wear it more often.
)
