Ever since I became engrossed in feminism and the idea of
equal rights for everyone, I have thought about how I would raise my child. I
am only 24 years old right now and I'm not even sure if I want kids. However it
is still a thought that I have in my head.
I grew up with one younger brother. I would dress him up
in my dresses and do his makeup. Boy, my dad did not like that. I remember once
I think in middle school asking my dad "What would you do if one of your
kids turned out gay?" He said "None of my kids will ever be
gay." Surprise, surprise! My brother is gay. My dad has grown though since
those times. He accepts my brother for who he is. As a parent I would strive to
embrace my child no matter who they turned out to be. If she wants to dress as
a boy and play with monster trucks who cares? I love Angelina Jolie and Brad
Pitt as a couple because they let their kids be who they want to be. One of
their little girls is constantly dressing as a boy and cuts her hair short and
they could give a fig!
To see a recent story about a boy dressing as a girl just
go to Huffington Post.
This mom brought her son to the store. He was wearing a pink headband and was
so happy with it. Then a man snatched it off of his head and called him a
rather nasty word. It's events like this that can be avoided in the future if
people would just teach their children to love one another and that it doesn't
matter what someone looks like on the outside. It's who they are on the inside.
I want
to teach my daughter what it is to be a strong woman and give her the power of
the word "no". I want to teach my son to respect women and to listen
to the word "no" in all its forms on the first time. I also want to
teach them that everyone is equal no matter their color, sex, orientation, etc.
It all comes down to teaching our future generations to do the right thing.
