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Gender Neutral Parenting - Is This a Right Approach?
What are all of us taught while growing up? That blue is for a boy and pink is for a girl, right? But nowadays, some parents are opting to raise their child as gender neutral. It is an unconventional approach which is constantly under debate. If you are however thinking of going the same route with your own child, there a few things you should keep in mind. Let’s discuss a few details about gender-neutral parenting below, which may help you decide if this is the correct approach for your child or not.
What is Gender Neutral Parenting?
Gender neutral parenting is when parents raise their child without forcing any preconceived gender norms upon them and allowing them to choose which one they would rather adopt for the rest of their lives. This allows the child not to be put into a box and grow up according to the conventional gender rules. For example, parents would address the child as ‘Baby’ in their conversations and not ‘Boy’ or ‘Girl’, allow their children to dress in what they want – Whether it means boys wearing pink, or girls wearing blue, keep room decor and the type of toys their kids play with neutral and in general avoid any kind of gender stereotyping. Some would go to the extent of hiding the gender of their child from everyone except their closest family members.
Is It Healthy for Your Child?
This question really depends on the different mindsets of people. One viewpoint talks about how gender-neutral parenting is a major pro as the child can grow up free without conforming to any of the artificially created disadvantages society places around gender. Gender norms can make kids feel they need to force themselves to be something they are not, impeding their happiness and health. One parent says her 4-year-old son grew up wearing jeans and dresses, playing with all types of toys and having long hair. He told his parents that though he identifies as a boy, he still would want to wear girl's clothes. Whereas, several experts say that if children are not raised as either a boy or a girl, they might end up feeling lost and confused about their own identity and grow up without any clarity as to who they are.
Effects of Gender Neutral Parenting on Children
The most common question is what effect will gender-neutral parenting have on children? Let’s look at a few things to keep in mind:
1. Impact on Social Life
Strict gender-neutral parenting is virtually impossible, if your child goes to playschool or daycare. If he does not get in social situations with other children and is at home with you most of the time, only then will it be possible. The reason is that a gender-neutral child’s dress sense or playing style might attract awkward questions from his classmates or parents of his classmates which might cause issues for you and your child. It might even result in bullying or teasing from other kids.
2. Impact on Playtime
Gender neutral parenting should not affect playtime as parents would typically encourage their kids to play with a wide variety of toys or let them choose whichever toy they want to play with.
3. Impact on Sexuality
Gender neutral parenting has less effect on sexuality than you would think. Research shows that homosexuality is more due to biology and genetics and less due to the environment. In fact, 85 % of gender nonconforming children go on to become heterosexual adults.
Gender Neutral Parenting Pros and Cons
What are the pros and cons of raising your child as gender neutral?
Pros
Let’s look at the pros first:
Gender neutral kids are more creative thanks to having the freedom of expression and choice
Children who get to choose between ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’ toys regardless of their gender have the ability to enhance their insights and interests.
They also have the ability to have more interests and hobbies.
Your child can be truly who he is, regardless of any constriction.
Your child will get familiar with the interests of the opposite gender.
Being gender neutral can increase your child’s awareness of identity and his self-esteem.
Children who get the freedom of such choice early in life are more likely to become confident and be leaders rather than followers later on.
Gender neutral children are more likely to be agents of gender equality both in school and in their own cultures.
Gender neutral kids grow up with the ability to never have any bias or stereotype in any situation.
Gender neutral children do not feel any added pressure to make choices they are not sure whether they like or not.
Cons
Now, let’s see some dangers of gender-neutral parenting:
If the child is raised without the concept of gender, they will become confused about their identity when they attend school and meet other kids.
It will be challenging for parents to avoid all gender-specific pronouns at home like him, her, she or he.
There is no way of avoiding gender in the child’s future due to surrounding society so giving them exposure early will help them decide who they are and what they want to be.
Be careful not to slip and put your child into another ‘type’. They’re people, not ‘gender neutral children’.
You also have to be careful not to push gender-neutral parenting onto your child. If a boy likes only blue and sports, then it’s okay. Similarly, if your girl likes pink and princesses, that’s okay too.
How to Raise a Gender Neutral Child?
Gender neutral parenting psychology can be tricky. Here are a few science-backed tips:
1. Reduce Gender’s Importance
Don’t use the term gender neutral but help your kids be free of any gender restrictions. You can do this by removing labels on gender from your language. Like replacing ‘What a smart girl you are!’ with ‘What a smart kid you are!’.
2. Avoid the Pink and Blue Themes
Watch out for attributing gender stereotypes and any stressing of difference between boys and girls. Never associate pink with a girl and blue with a boy. This can change their thinking and behaviour to adapt to norms early on. You can get them gender-neutral children’s clothes and encourage them to wear gender neutral colours.
3. Encourage Girls and Boys to Play Together
It is vital for children to be comfortable playing with the opposite gender as this will make them ready for future relationships at work, at home and in school. You can enter your child in mixed gender activities, sports, and playgroups.
4. Don’t Eliminate Gender Entirely
Your goal should not be to erase gender but to encourage your child to pursue all interests, careers, and hobbies. By making sure their opportunities and choices are not restricted by gender, you can better emphasise how irrelevant gender is in society.
5. Introduce Them To Role Models
Expose your children to role models like male nurses, female engineers and mechanics and so on. Your child will be encouraged if he learns about people who challenge gender stereotypes and express themselves in a gender fluid manner.
6. Focus on your kid as an independent individual
Studies show that there is no difference between a male brain and a female brain. Although both genders have biological differences, in other aspects they have a mix of things characteristic of both sexes. Hence, it is essential to focus on your child as a single human, rather than anything which attributes gender.
7. Help Them See Being Different is Okay
It is important to teach and reassure your child that being gender neutral might be slightly different to others but is still completely okay, positive and normal.
8. Encourage Free Expression in a Safe Space
Allow your child to explore and experiment in a safe environment, in activities like role play and dressing up. Support them in whatever choice they make. However, they can choose to express themselves whatever gender they may be. Keep their possibilities open.
9. Teach Them About Sexism
Help your children recognise stereotypes and how the society and world we live in has gender divisions. This will equip them better for the future and help them realise gender division is not due to the difference in ability, but due to a culture which is stereotypical.
10. Keep in Mind Toys Have No Gender
Do not gender stereotype toys as boy toys and girl toys. This can affect your child in their psychological and physical development if you are raising them as gender neutral. Let your child play with a wide variety of toys which are not segregated as being blue or pink
Most importantly, the decision to raise a gender neutral child should not be to make the child a symbol of social change; it should be to give the child freedom to decide his own identity free from any gender limitations.
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Chocolate Dates and Nuts Cake
One of the ways to make kid’s eat nuts is by incorporating them into something they love. One such thing is cake. This chocolate cake boasts of goodness from dates, raisins and cashew nuts. This is also an ideal thing to pack in kid’s lunch box along with a sandwich or a smoothie.
Serves
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
8 People
10 - 15 min
30 - 35 Minutes
Ingredients
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ cup pitted dates (soaked for 3-4 hours in ¼ cup water)
¼ cup condensed milk
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp chopped roasted cashews
3 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp chopped dates
1 tbsp flour
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven at 180 C and grease and dust a 6'' square cake tin. Dust the cashews, raisins and chopped dates with flour and set aside.
Step 2
Blend the dates along with the soaking water and milk into a smooth paste.
Step 3
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and butter. Add the dates-milk paste and whisk again.
Step 4
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk well to form the batter.
Step 5
Add the cashews, raisins and chopped dates into the batter and whisk.
Step 6
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake at 180 C for 15 mins and then lower the temperature to 160 C and bake for another 15-20 minutes. When done, a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Step 7
Let the cake rest in the tin for 5-10 mins before taking it out of the tin.
Step 8
Cool it completely before slicing. Enjoy with afternoon tea. Kids can enjoy it with a glass of shake or smoothie.
Nutritional Information
Calories
203 K cal
Proteins
3.6 g
Fats
7.8 g
Carbohydrates
31.9 g
Cholesterol
18 mg
Sodium
159 mg
Potassium
231 mg
Tip: You can omit the cocoa powder and the nuts for a plain dates cake.
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