To be sick of little girls being portrayed as angels and little boys as devils-in-disguise?

[mm22bys]

I got a brochure today about a company that sells toiletries for children.

The name of said-company?

HalosnHorns

(Halos in pink, and horns in blue).

Why are little boys always portrayed as imps, devils, trouble-makers, etc, etc, etc?

It's no wonder so many grow up with low self-esteem, alot of their behaviour must just be like a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Rant over.

YANBU.

YANBU

YANBU

not any better for the girls...

Girls must be soft, frilly, pink and nice. Hardly assertive and go getting. YANBU.

YANBU.....

It's all vile. IME boys can be just as angelic, they might be more boisterous and physical, but they can be loving and gentle too. And my DD is the least pink and fluffy child you can imagine but also by the far the most beautiful (of course ). It's so destructive.

I know, I thought the same, but I do like the product so buy it.

I have one boy who regularly likes to wear pink/purple and chose a mermaid tootbrush this morning. Now bashing a large metal bowl and 'singing' on his train track.

So no and yes?!

with you there! Same in schools - female heada, teachers, PTA etc etc. Aklways boys' parents being called in, always the girls who tell tales.. Feminisation of education and society. Sad that little boys are seen so often in solely a negative light.

YANBU

I also dislike when boys are allowed to misbehave and it comes under the "boys will be boys" thing.

YANBU

and I also hate the imediate ( albeit also usually jokey ) assumption that teenagers are rude selfish and absoloutely always up to no good.
I often think that we have rafts of teenagers who are being encouraged daily to live down to adults expectations.
That is also predominately aimed at boys too

MB - but there are differences between boys and girls so imho, it is true that "boys will be boys". I think society, but more particularly education, should enable them to rough & tumble, bounce around, keep active etc but in a positive, supportive environment. We try too hard to fit them into the same mode of behaviour as girls - sit down quietly in classrm etc etc - and then wonder why they kick off!

Agree with you there pagwatch.

I go running alone regularly. There are often groups of teenagers hanging around with their bikes and skateboards. A few years ago I'd have found them threatening now I know that the majority of them are perfectly OK, and usually move out of my way with an apology. No hassle whatsoever. Polite and well-meaning. A lot of our friends now have teenage DC - and I've never found any of them anything other than reasonable people. It does seem a shame that a time when they are having to deal with big changes in themselves and their lives, they are also having to deal with such a negative image of themselves. Because of a very small misguided and badly-led minority. Its very unfair.

out of interest, are we neatly dividing into mothers of boys in agreement with OP, mothers of girls against??

I've got both!

YANBU.

I hate the sterotypes too...seems to be getting worse in the 21st century not better.

I think theres more difference between 2 children than the sexes. You can have a very gentle boy and equally an energetic boyish girl.

I have both boys and girls so no.

And I don't think anyone is denying that boys and girls are different - theY develop at different rates so they are. It is the postive connotations applied to girls and the negative to boys aspect that is annoying.

Orm I have told people that my 15 year old babysits for DS2 and DD and people have nodded. When it has then emerged that said 15 year old is a boy then I get the questions.

My boy is way more able than his peers in that direction - male or female!

YANBU abotu the boys but think its TOTALLY unfair on girls too. Poor girls havign to live up to this horrible 'angel' image of always being good and nice blahblah. Its really not fair on them at all. Whereas boys seem to get 'oh boys will be boys etc and boisterous behaviour is so much more tolerated. And the low self esteem taht girls get from not beign able to live up to some crappy 'PERFECT' image.

MissChief - yes of course there are differences between boys and girls.

But I have seen parents letting unnacceptable (to me at least) go unchecked as they just roll their eyes and say "boys will be boys"

unacceptable behaviour I meant to say

YANBU. I can't bear all those 'Here Comes Trouble', 'Cheeky Monkey' etc t-shirts that are all over the place - amost always for boys. Ghastly.

I'm a mother of 3 girls and would throw the brochure straight in the bin. my dds are hardly angelic, nor devillish. They vary massively between themselves too, though none are remotely frilly or fluffy.

i understand what you're saying, but from my side (as, obviosuly, the mother of boys) I hate it when as frequently happens, I see the mothers of girls roll their eyes as they see my boys and others running around, play fighting etc in the local playground - ie being normal boys imho. I#'ve spoken to others boys' mums and they complain about this too, so it's not my paranoia! I'm actually quite [shocked] at the gender divide, which in turn often seems to split up the mums into opposing camps. A pity.

fennel, your girls and my boys could probably produce a nice damning critique of the brochure

and then rip it up and eat it

agree with shaun too

I think the presentation of girls as an idealised or selfless breed is equally dreary.

My DD is gorgeous and a bit bouncy. She wants to start playing mini rugby. She is six and has great eye hand co ordination and frankly just needs to be tired out a lot . Just like my boys in fact. Yet mentioning that DS1 was starting minis never provoked pursed lips ( and even one muttering about lesbians ()

YANBU. I refuse to dress my boys in clothes that say "cheeky monkey", "nothing but trouble", etc. DCs have a habit of living up to expectations and if you expect your boys to be naughty then they probably will be.