Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Some people just don't get it.

Imagination, in my opinion, is key to having a healthy, happy childhood. If there's anything I want to encourage my children, it's that you don't need material things to have fun. All you need is your mind, and that can be such a powerful thing on it's own.

Master S has such a wonderful imagination. He'll pretend to be a chicken and 'fart eggs'. He'll pretend to be a train and 'choo choo'. He'll pretend to be a plane and go flying.

Miss E will join in her brother's games and chase him pretending to be Luigi from the Mario Brother's, and will be a racecar making skidding noises.

It's amazing watching them play.
The possibilities are endless.

One of their favourite games is Princesses, and sometimes, Master S plays Princesses by himself.

He loves the colour pink.
He loves having his nails painted.
He loves dancing.
He loves cooking, singing and stomping around the house in my heels.

I loved the days he'd ask me to tie up his hair, the days he'd paint my nails and I'd paint his. He'd be my hairdresser and after teasing my hair into a knotty mess with some clips on the side, he'd tell me I look like a Princess.

But I've noticed that while he still loves doing these things, it's become a secret. He'll tell me I can only paint his toenails & he'll wear headbands only when he's at home & Daddy's not. He always likes the colour pink when I ask him his favourite colour & likes red when anyone else asks.

At the age of three, he's aware of gender stereotyping and it pisses me off that there even is such a thing.

I'll proudly tell anyone, out of his earshot, that my son makes a handsome Prince & a beautiful Princess, but while everyone agrees that imagination is a gift, I'm met with judgmental looks, and I have actually been asked 'What would you do if he's gay?'

I've been left gobsmacked.
Speechless.
It's like they are missing the point.
My daughter plays cars, why can't my son play tea-parties?
It's something I have thought seriously about.

And then I've wanted to punch someone in the face.

What would I do if my son is gay?
I'd do the same thing as if he was straight.

A big fuck load of nothing.

He's three.
He doesn't like girls.
You find me a three year old who wants to have a boyfriend or girlfriend and I'll show you a child with a problem.

My son is a baby with a beautiful imagination.
If he wants to dance, and style hair, and wear pink, I'm not going to stop him and stamp on who he is, or who he pretends to be.

And you know what? If my son comes to me as an adult and says 'I'd like you to meet my boyfriend!' one of the only things I'll be worried about is whether whomever he chooses to spend his life with, regardless of gender, treats him the way he deserves to be treated. The other thing I'll be worried about is whether he'll have to deal with stupid people everyday who judge him for things that are none of their business.

I'm not interested in looking towards the future.
I am just interested in the now.
And now? I have a son who can be anything he wants to be.
Whether it's an Aeroplane, or a Princess.

Some people just don't get it.
And there's some people, that do.


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