It’s popular nowadays to declare certain days in the year,
as dedicated to a movement or entities. Last week it was the turn of the girl
child to be feted.
In a playschool where we celebrate the child every day, we
draw no lines to distinguish the girl or boy child. They have no inhibitions
during play, which is really their main activity in preschool, and they choose
the activity that they want to explore further.
Today 3 girls decide
they want to join in the football game. On another day a boy rushes through his
snack, and busies himself with the kitchen toys. Sometimes it’s a boy who’ll take
time to set up the books and pencils for the writing time. Maybe it’s a girl who
throws out a dare to the rest -See what I can do!
I couldn’t help feeling we’re on the right track when,
during the Onam celebration the girls performed the rehearsed dance with elan,
watched the boys do their bit in a raucous boat race and then hijacked the stage
saying they wanted to row a race themselves!
Way to go, girls!
I so love this about Friends :) Its amazing though how 'girls' and 'boys' get conditioned over time, and start drawing their own boundaries, from data they collect in social interactions and other experiences. The gender-ing of children is something that I have been very intrigued by, right from the time when their first articulations of 'boys do this' and 'girls wear that' begins. I so wish the 'free spirit' continues to be nurtured in children, even as they grow, to explore the limitless possibilities the world offers.
ReplyDeleteThe stereotyping of gender starts at home, But I suppose it all goes back to tradition, culture, ethnicity. What beats all these are the social/Peer pressure. In a community with certain social norms, whatever the knowledge the child attains out-side home - read school - is undone the moment the child is back at home. I strongly believe the home/parents need to play a big role in the holistic formation of their child. Incidentally, I opted for needlework as ECA in class 6 & 7 and at the age of 35 took up Home Cooking & Kitchen Management, first as a hobby, then on a serious practice thro' a professional training. Both these ECA came in extremely handy in later years. :) :)) :))) :))))
ReplyDelete