Why do we place such pressures on a child to act a certain way or do certain things, what happened to just being a kid? Now society stresses girls to wear pink and boys to wear blue. However, what happened if I wore blue as a child, did that make me any more masculine than other girls were? Kids should be kids, and that's all there is to it. Doesn't experience make us grow into well-rounded people, so why shouldn't a little boy play with dolls to learn how to nurture, why is that activity saved for girls only?
People are multifaceted individuals with much to offer the world. But the word gender predetermines how they people fit into society. Being a female, by society's standards, makes me "weak, timid, emotional, and insecure," but in reality, I am the complete opposite. Does it mean that I am more masculine in nature, or am I just aware that I do not need to fit into the "mans" definition of a woman? I cannot even go into a store and not see items by categories. I can shop in either the female department or the male department. I can look at power tools, most likely located adjacent to the men's department, or I can look at cookware, most likely found by the women's department. Living in a segmented world has only made gender socialization more apparent than ever.
I want my children to be aware at birth that they can be what they want to be. I do not think I could go as far to say I would restrict people from knowing the sex of the child, but I want them to feel free to express themselves however they feel fit. They should not have to worry about fulfilling society's expectations of male or female, it should be up to them on how they want to live their lives.
