Are there skills which you lack due to your fear of stereotyping yourself?

[turdass]

Sorry, badly written title.

What I mean is that my mother is very repressed and tried to bring us up the same way. She made us (sister and myself) do housework as 'We would need to do it too when we had a husband to look after'. As a result, I am crap at housework because I totally rejected where she was coming from with it (even though I realise that being clean shouldn't be associated with gender in any way.)

Similarly, I cannot type/knit/sew as these were all skills which were associated with being a 'good girl' when I was young. (I am 40 now).

Weirdly enough, I am a SAHM right now whilst my DCs are preschoolers. However, I had to really, really fight with myself over this issue. I hated myself for conforming to my parents' views that women should stay at home with the kids but really wanted to spend my children's infancy with them.

Has anyone else had these kinds of weird interior struggles where you reject something which is beneficial or which you want to do because of the 'shame' involved in being a 'stereotypical' female?

...or is it just me?

I hated the idea of being "girly" when I was younger and from the age of seven I refused to wear a dress and I was most upset when my auntie bought me a doll for christmas that year.

Like a few of you have said, I too rejected the traditionally female activities and as a result I can't cook, bake, sew or knit very well at all. I really wish I'd learnt these skills when I was younger and have taught myself the basics of cooking and baking and am now learning to knit. I learnt how to touch type about 5 years ago and think it should be taught in schools as it is such a good skill for everyone to have.

My mum and my gran taught me to cook and to sew. My dad taught me various DIY skills. Practical and useful stuff really.

DH didn't get any of this when he was younger so panics when things happen like our Hoover breaking down. I had it stripped down and repaired in about half an hour.

I am grateful to my mum and gran as teaching me to sew sparked a love of textiles which I then got a degree in and now run my own business designing textiles which let's me combine work and kids.

I love mumsnet - have terrible insomnia at the moment so am having a good catch up on here.