how to shrink a life

[metaphortunate]

I know this is one of those things. Everyone who lets their kids take more risks than mine is negligent. Everyone who makes their kids take fewer risks is smothering and overprotective.

Nonetheless. It breaks my heart to see all the little girls who see the Junebug doing a slightly adventurous thing, and copy him, only to bring their parents swooping down all "No, no, honey! We don't do that! That's dangerous!" Then they sadly watch the Junebug climb or swing or jump and I sadly watch them learning that adventure is for boys. They start binding our spirits so early.

Comments

[metaphortunate]

Did you see the study about how mothers - mothers! - underestimate what girl babies can do but not boys? :( Patterns, indeed.

[lovepeaceohana]

Ugh :( I've also read that the inverse is true, that parents of boys often overestimate their boy-child's abilities and so boys wind up with small injuries more frequently than girls. Which again feeds back into the "oh boys are just more physical" etc.

(I can't tell whether I do that; I had so little experience with small children prior to my own that I just literally have no idea what they're capable of, so I tend to follow their lead where it doesn't seem obviously unsafe ... but then again, I consider myself more willing to take risks than my peers, so.)