Boy Bashing?Written by Valerie Zilinsky
Sometimes I wonder what these fashion designers are thinking. I read an article in our local newspaper recently which left me in wonder. What happened to girl power? Teaching our daughters to respect themselves? Emphasizing self-esteem & sexual equality?Now, it seems that someone in fashion industry decided that it's a good thing for our girls to brag about how they look down on male gender. To them, it's cool to treat men & boys like unworthy objects. Is that supposed to make our daughters feel better about themselves? Your daughter can actually walk into a well-known department store and purchase shirts with sayings like: "Boys Lie" "Boys Are Great - Everyone Should Own One" "Lying, Cheating, Stinking Boys" Now, I have no problem with girls wearing shirts that say things like "Girls Rule", or "Girls Are Great", but since when is it cool to talk bad about someone else to make ourselves feel better? Isn't that something that responsible adults are supposed to teach our kids to NOT do? Not only that, but can you imagine what kinds of things men's & boy's department will fight back with? Are you going to put your foot down and draw line, explaining to young girls in your life why this is NOT cool?
| | An *Ntertaining EveningWritten by Valerie Zilinsky
This year, on my daughter's 5th birthday, we gave her something different. She couldn't open it, it wasn't wrapped, there was no box... but she can hold it (in her heart) and keep it forever (in her memories).I had privilege of treating her to her first concert experience, to see her favorite group, *NSYNC. Perhaps you are thinking she is a little too young for that... but, even after fact, I know it was best birthday present we could have given her. I do not believe in sheltering my children. By this, I do not mean that I will be taking a preschooler to rated-R movies, or anything extreme like that. But what I do mean is that I can't be with my children around clock every day of week, and therefore they will see and experience things that I have no control over. For this reason, I would rather be by their side as they experience world, than try to shut door to world, and leave them unprepared for when someone opens it. If I teach them their morals and values, that their choices and opinions matter, then they will be better prepared to experience world. It is this parenting philosophy which leads me to let my children develop tastes for music outside of Raffi and Sesame Street, as they grow into their individuality. My daughter has an honest appreciation for musical talent of all types, which I can see in her eyes and read in her face whenever she watches anyone perform. Attending this concert, allowing her to see something of this proportion in person, was a truly magical experience for her. There were moments that I thought she might explode with excitement!
|