Children quickly absorb and reproduce behaviours they see and experience in their daily lives.
We have to change the attitude of adults.
As parents and guardians we need to know what to say before starting a dialogue with our children, we cannot repeat the same things that were said to us growing up.
Even when we feel as though our children are being raised in a space that is gender stereotype free, our children receive so many messages via the media, at school, via extended members of our families and their peers and friends… their peers actually make the biggest impact on them and they pick up culture as they grown and perpetuate it.
So as they grow we need to be more conscious about having conversations with them around gender stereotypes and be very intentional about it.
Here are ways to be more intentional about raising children that are raised gender bias free:
- Comment positively on stories that equally value all genders.
- Seek out stories with non-stereotyped characters — for example, female characters with realistic body types and nonaggressive male characters.
- Recognize and draw attention to characters who defy gender stereotypes.
- Include texts that show how worth and happiness don’t come from appearance (especially important for female characters) or from physical strength (especially important for male characters).
- Comment positively on healthy, supportive, and fulfilling cross-gender friendships and relationships.
- Introduce children to adults from real life or characters who have non-gender-stereotypical professions
- Seek out texts and content that include LGBTQ characters who are fully realized and who don’t fit common gender- or sexual-orientation-based stereotypes. Even if you are a parent that does not believe in LGBTQI and what the community stands for, you have to teach your children about the community and the importance of tolerance.
Raising ignorant children that dismiss the existence of people and how they choose to live breeds hatred. We have to work together in raising bias free children.
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