A recent study debunks the myth that all the progress made by girls in the past 20-30 years has come at the expense of boys.
But some parents of boys still have worries...
It is good news that whatever strides are made by girls in the sciences, in sports, and in other arenas previously dominated by boys aren't made at the expense of boys. Still parents grapple with what is left for their boys? Stereotypes and assumptions about trucks and cars? As a mother of girls, I'm very clear that my task is teaching strength, independence, and how fun math can be.
What is the primary task of parents of boys?
As the lovely Sassafrass describes her struggle with competitive gender-centric parenting, she concludes with this lovely thought:
My boy happens to be verbal and
sensitive and nurturing. He also loves cars and trucks and dinosaurs
and t-ball. He often wears my necklaces and he inevitably has a scrape
on his knee and bruise on his shin. Where he falls among the girl and
boy characteristics, I could care less.
It would be great if we eventually lived in a gender-blind culture. But for now, that dream seems far far away...
