Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A Feminist Raising a Child

            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.

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