Gender Bias

Yesterday, Hans offered to help me make dinner. He reminded me of my brother. My brother was always in the kitchen with my mom. Where was I those days? Like ASid yesterday, I would usually be on the couch or in my room reading a book…completely oblivious to the world! Lucky for me that my mom was ahead of her times in the mother country and never insisted that, being a girl, I should be in the kitchen helping her instead of my brother.

My brother totally benefitted from all that time spent in the kitchen with our mom. He is a better cook and a better parent than I could ever be. If Hans turns out half as good as his uncle, I would be so proud!

In the world we live in today, children have more freedom to be who they want to be than ever before and yet, some of our expectations haven’t changed at all.

This morning, I was on the phone with a mother from Hans’ school. Her boy is in Grade 6 and does not like sports at all. The teacher wanted him to join the Grade 6 boys’ soccer team. Apparently, the boy politely declined and the teacher kept insisting. The boy stuck to his guns and the teacher was visibly upset with him toward the end of the day. The boy got into panic mode when he got home. He was worried that the teacher probably hates him now. The mother was very concerned and decided to contribute her time at school to just let her son’s teacher know that her boy is a good kid and he means no trouble by sitting out soccer!

It was very frustrating for me to listen to all of the above.

I really didn’t know how to help this parent. The best she can do is to have a candid chat with the teacher about her child’s fears.

There is a lot children are forced to do as part of the curriculum. They are absolutely given no choices. Why then should they be made to feel guilty if they have some free will and decide to exercise it?!

I have a good mind to go speak with the teacher myself. I really want to know if he is insisting on every girl in Grade 6 being on the Grade 6 girls’ soccer team?! If he is, then I can accept his insistence. Perhaps he is trying to be inclusive?! But this is not my battle to fight. It is somebody else’s and I hope her boy feels better at the end of the day!