While on holiday I don’t really have the time to watch other children on the beach since I am always busy playing with mine, but when an outraged young girl screams back at her mum ‘He should do it himself!’, I do pay attention…
The incident involves a mother of a boy and girl getting ready to leave the beach and, in the process of collecting all the toys and beach accessories, the mother makes a point of telling off the little girl for not collecting all of her brother’s toys too! The older brother- in a very ‘I don’t care’ attitude- watches the mother trying to tidy up the mess (he mostly has created) and hangs around expecting the younger sister to get busy, especially when the mother starts yelling at the little girl that she should pick up his stuff too and move it to the car. Poor little girl does as her mum says, but answers back with fury: ‘He should do it himself!!!’
My point exactly! Why don’t we let boys do it themselves? How is it possible still in the 21st century in so called developed countries and civilized parts of the world to witness incidents like this? How can a mother discriminate against her own daughter like this? What stops a perfectly healthy and fit 8 year old boy from picking up his own toys from the beach? How come this mother never thought before that he should be responsible for his own things and look after them while giving her a hand as well?
Dear mothers with boys and girls out there, please, do treat your children with the same respect and value them as equal. Isn’t it better if you were to teach them teamwork rather than who is the servant of whom?
Don’t you find it better to run a household where your son helps with chores, sets the table, collects his own toys, does pretty much everything for himself by himself and not wait to be attended to all of the time? I think by raising boys this way we help them develop their independence and self-confidence rather than encourage their narcissistic and ‘pasha’ attitude. Personally, I would not be happy or proud to teach my son to treat women like maids or servants. I’d rather empower him by learning to stand on his own two feet and ‘do it himself’.
Cheers,
Diana Z
