Sexism in classic children's books

[Bi11yOneMate]

So we've just been given some lovely illustrated classic children's books. And of course my darling children want them read as their bedtime stories for the next week.

But dear me, it's driving me insane! I'm having to bite my tongue not to interrupt the story and go off into a women's rights lecture, and how it's not like that now because blah blah blah.

Obviously it would be a shame not to read them, and we have had a chat in daytime about how the stories were written a long time ago when things were unfair. But my kids are only little and I really don't like giving them any sexist rubbish to fill their heads.

How do you deal with it?

I was thinking about the Op’s example about Peter Pan, I read it that those things - cooking and mending- represent the mother’s love he so obviously (but would never admit to) craves.
Anyway, I had to on-the-hop correct an Enid Blyton story where “he carried the picnic basket because he was the boy” ... in our family, daddy sorts the kids and mummy carries the picnic basket 💪😄

Enid Blyton wasn't quite as stuffy as you might think - she actually had an affair with a surgeon, and used his name as the heroine of her Mallory Towers school stories! She also wrote characters called Dick and Fanny, and one called Mr Pink Whistle. I'm sure she did it on purpose! I always used to chuckle to myself when reading her stuff to my kids. But her books were very easy readers for young kids just getting confident at reading longer tales for themselves.

Just so wish we had more inspirational books to read to girls.
Lauren St. John books are great for older girls

Yeah the 100 extraordinary women was a complete disappointment on an epic scale we have abandoned and are making our own list!