Raising Feminists

Ever since the Miley Cyrus/VMA debacle there has been a flood of articles and blogs (some progressive, some backwards) about how girls (and boys) should behave, and what to expect of the opposite sex.

I want to raise both my son and my daughter as feminists.

I was raised in a feminist household. When I was little my dad would read my sisters and I fairy tales but reverse the roles so that the girls were the ones rescuing the boys. He died when I was ten years old, so then feminism really became the default. In a household of four women we had to figure out how to get anything and everything done ourselves. There were no gender roles or limits. I love what my dad did in his storytelling for the sake of his three little girls, but it's not entirely the brand of feminism I need to teach my children. Since I have both a son and a daughter I need an all-inclusive brand of feminism...the kind that looks at gender equality including men's liberation, not just women's liberation. I want to raise them as equals, untainted by notions of what boys should do vs. what girls should do. To me, it seems like a no-brainer in this day and age.

• I want both my kids to climb trees, play in the sand, and get dirty.
• I want both my kids to make music and art and dance.
• I want both of my kids to play sports and be athletic.
• I want both of my kids to enjoy math and science.
• I want both my kids to love animals and plants and know how to care for them.
• I want both of my kids to invent and build things.
• I want both of my kids to know how to do laundry and basic sewing.
• I want both of my kids to learn to cook and clean.
• I want both of my kids to feel like babysitting is a decent way to earn pocket money as a young teen.
• I want both of my kids to mow the lawn, muck out the chicken coop, or remove a spider from the house.
• I want both of my kids to love themselves and their bodies.
• I want both of my kids to give respect to the opposite sex, and be respected by the opposite sex.
• I want both of my kids to feel confident enough to ask someone out on a date.
• I want both of my kids to feel safe when they are out at night with their friends.
• I want both of my kids to know it is OK to be the primary breadwinner, or not.
• I want both of my kids to know that raising children is a sacred and honorable job.
• I want both of my kids to know they can do and be anything they choose.