Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

support thread: bringing up girls

87 replies

BlueFlyer · 03/07/2012 16:24

I'm a mum of a daughter and I have started this thread for anybody who is bringing up girls. I know quite a few people have started threads before about younger girls and stereotypes, but I'd also like advice on raising self esteem, resilience and imagination in older girls.

I'd really appreciate any advice from people who have experience, and any book, activity, media or other recommendations.

OP posts:

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 20:35

oh yeah, it's weird, they have to go through it. Dd wore the same pink dress every day for over a year (had to wash it at night on occasion. She used to eat the belt too.

Won't touch dresses/ skirts now. Altho she did wear a very short skirt the other day and I asked her if she was going out to earn a few quid. heh heh heh. Also, I always say, well I don't like it, dearest heart, but it isn't me wearing it. You wear what you want to wear. Drives em insane.

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 20:36

And don't forget I had had ds wear tights and a tutu and sparkly hairslides for years. Inured.

MmeLindor. · 03/07/2012 21:09

DD was the biggest massivest princessy Disneyfied girl until she was about 8yo. She went through a "I hate pink" phase, but has not (10yo) settled into liking all colours.

She says that she doesn't really want to be a tomboy, but doesn't want to be a girly girl either.

I think that you have to let them be interested in what they want to be interested in, without giving in to the impulse to steer them in a different direction.

HotheadPaisan · 03/07/2012 21:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ThePan · 03/07/2012 21:18

Had a conversation with dd about 2 years ago (when 10) re tomboy/girly girls - she said exactly as Mme's did - 'I'm somewhere in between. Neither." She had Barbie, and dolls, and was a bit cool on pink. Now she doesn't own a dress, and wouldn't wear one. Likes her clothes, esp t-shirts.

I'm for letting the darlings decide - and besides which in later childhood the more you try to prevail th more there will be something to rebel against. So reverse psychology could be a go-er.

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 21:20

yy hothead, just have loads of different stuff in a box and let him choose. We used to have a particulalry fetching Sleeping Beauty number I seem to rememember. It was a great loss to sartorial choice when Woolworths shut.

HotheadPaisan · 03/07/2012 21:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MmeLindor. · 03/07/2012 21:27

DS went through a phase of wearing DD's pink Tweetie Pie nightie to bed. Every night.

We let him and took lots of really cute photos of him with a buzz haircut in his favourite nightie, with which to blackmail him when he is a teen

Original poster

BlueFlyer · 03/07/2012 21:29

It was a shame about Woolworths. We had a great Princess Leia wig from Woolworths.

OP posts:

treadonthecracks · 03/07/2012 21:31

I am joining this thread as I'm interested in the opinions expressed.

My DD, 7, is another girly girl, pink spinny dresses. No end in sight so far...

5madthings · 03/07/2012 21:42

joins thread, ihave one dd, my youngest and 4 boys. i think we are parenting her the same as the boys tbh, but she is only 18mths so its early days! having 4 big brothers does mean we have a house full of 'boys' toys but then we also have a toy cooker, dolls, loads of dressing up stuff (my ds3 is a big fan of tutus and fairy dresses, which i was slated for on mnet on another thread!) so we have always been gender neutral with toys and just bought a wide variety for them to play with.

i have to say i am enjoying buying girls clothes, but dd also wears her brothers hand me downs, at the moment i decide to leggins with a skirt or a dress, whatever she wears is practical so she can run and climb, she is a BIG climber! it will be interesting as my dd gets older to see if she is tomboyish or if she goes the opposite way, having 4 big brothers i wonder how much they will influence her. she already likes playing cars, trains etc but equally loves the toy pushchair and doll, tbh she is just a typical toddler at the moment! totally adorable and a bit fiesty! :)

interstingly i worry more about parenting my boys, or at the moment i do, my eldest is almost 13 and i am very worried about the whole internet and porn etc, we have safety settings on our home pc but i am very aware that with fancy mobiles etc it WILL be accesed if not by him by his friends etc. i want him growing up to respect women, well everyone really! and at the moment he sees myself and dp as equals to each other and dp has always been hands on around the house and my boys are all expected to pitch in and help out etc.

GrimmaTheNome · 03/07/2012 21:44

I've never really worried about 'gender stuff' either. I guess I grew up with a nice mix of dresses and hand-me-downs from my DBs; always knew I'd be a scientist and simply didn't care that hardly any girls did it at school. So why would I worry about DD - she's herself.

She's got some friends who are happy wallowing around in mud and others who like shopping and makeup - perfect, makes up for my lack of interest. She hasn't worn pale pink for years ... likes wearing black rubber actually.

Original poster

BlueFlyer · 03/07/2012 21:52

5madthings, I was thinking of starting a thread about bringing up boys as well, but thought it might be a bit much to start both threads at once. If nobody else does it first, I will start a thread about boys at some point, because I have a boy as well.

OP posts:

TheEnthusiasticTroll · 03/07/2012 21:53

have glanced through the thread but noit taken too much in, will read a gain later in greater depth.

The only thing I find that really bothers me is that my dd aged 6 who has a very wide range of interests is classed as a "tomboy" many of her interests change on a daily basis and others are very consistant and those are the more gender nuetral ones, tennis, swimming and also football and drama, both not so.

she likes "boyish" clothes as she says and some feminin clothes "stylish" as she refers to them.

she has picked up on being a "tomboy" and often seeks clarification thats she is in fact a tomboy. I tell her she is not a tomboy she is her with an interest in many things make her the "person" she is and it is not good to need to justify your varied interests with comparison to the opposite sex. I tell her she female and strong and has freewill and that is all that matters.

Yet society needs to justify her uniquness from the stereotypical role and push her in the male mould by giving her a noncensical masculine justification when there are many little girls and woman like her, who are no less female and more male.

5madthings · 03/07/2012 21:58

sounds good blueflyer :) its only recenlty ihave started to ahve concerns, as mine get older, the eldest two are 12 and 10 today! then 7 and 4 and then dd is 18mths.

i just think the internet is such a huge thing now in the lives of teens etc, am alreayd a mean mum as i wont let ds1 have a fb account yet! its a whole new world parenting a teen i think! i can cope with babies, toddlers and primary school age but as ds1 gets older i think the outside influences, peer groups etc come into force much more. cant fault ds1 he is great, doing brilliantly at school, well behaved, well mannered etc, but i just know that things WILL come up as he gets older, and its how to handle that natural curiosity about sex etc and yet i want him to know that what you see on the internet is NOT the same as rl life esp with regards to sex and porn etc. mind you he saw his sister being born, so hoping that has put him off for a while yet or at least made him think about the reality of what sex can produce!

sweetkitty · 03/07/2012 22:01

I have 3DDs, DD1 almost 8 is very girly, pink and princesses, DD2 is a tomboy to the stage she actually wants to be a boy, she dresses in boys clothes down to underwear, loves dinosaurs and wants to be a builder she's 6 and fantastic, DD3 is almost 4 and so far quite girly more into mickey mouse and animals than princesses. Ive patented them the same, also have 2 yo DS who is the most stereotypical boy ever.

I grew up with a mad mother who thought men were better than women, to the extent that she believed its ok for a man to give you the odd slap if he gives you money, seriously the mark of a good man was bringing home the money. All women were good for was having babies and cleaning in here eyes. I'm such a disappointment to her going to uni and doing better than my brother.

I so want to break this mould. We don't talk about weight or appearance either. We say it's ok to wear boys clothes they're just clothes anyway.

TheEnthusiasticTroll · 03/07/2012 22:15

argh i hate typing a very good post that then gets lost, grr.

I see the tomboy debate has been touched upon, I agree with tethers on no need to make the comparison.

I think next time dd asks me "Am I a tomboy?" or "do you think Im a tomboy mummy?" I may answer with "no sweetheart you are a feminist" . I think it will go down a treat at soft play when the other parents are chuckling sweetly at what a tomboy she is and she pipes up "no actually Im a feminist"

that way she may show an interest and cotton on to feminism far earlier than I ever did and that can only be a good thing.

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 22:17

I don't think we've ever talked about "boys" or "girls" clothes or activities or being a "tomboy." Not cos I'm so cool, I just don't think it ever arose. Everyoen just did what they wanted.

The only time I ever remember talking about stuff was when ds wanted (age 7) to wear the hair slides to school and I said it was up to him but some people might make comments about "boy stuff" (because they are insane) so it was up to him if he wanted to deal with it or not.

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 22:18

PEOPLE SAY "YOU ARE A TOMBOY" OUT LOUD IN 2012??

TheEnthusiasticTroll · 03/07/2012 22:22

I think I have only in responce to what impression dd has been given from others, mostly mothers with boys I think who invite and include dd to parties and play dates that other girls in her class dont get a look in. But I see it differently than them, they see dd as a tomboy and i see dd a caring and nurturing child and I think the boys like this in her.

when she was in reception one little boy cried every day going into school and dd always with out fail took his hand and walked in with him often without saying anything. They often still play together at lunch time.

PissyDust · 03/07/2012 22:24

Can I mark my place as a mother of 3 young girls please?

TheEnthusiasticTroll · 03/07/2012 22:25

when I say I have,,,that was not in responce to I say you are a tomboy but your post above about boy and girl things.

my dd does when I think about it, make a distninction between the boyish things she likes and the girly things she likes, though she calls the more girly things stylish

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 22:32

enthusiastic - I'm glad you cleared that up, I was imagining you shouting YOU ARE A TOMBOY...

TheEnthusiasticTroll · 03/07/2012 22:34

an intersting point you make about the hair slides too hully and your ds, it seems possibly more accepted that girls can enjoy more masculin things and wear them well but slightly different for boys to do the same.

Hullygully · 03/07/2012 22:39

indeed.

fight back with sparkly hairslides!

Flip

1 2 3 4