I am anti-bullying.
Also, anti-gender discrimination.
When both are ignored you’ve got one unhappy playground Mama.
Yesterday, at Nora’s (and my) favorite neighborhood playlot, she was playing cheerfully under a jungle gym. All sorts of important tasks were going down; wood chips were being slid through pegs, shadows were being captured, and proclamations of “I am right here, Mommy” rang out to me, a mere three feet away.
A rock flying through the air and thunking on the ground nearby caused another Mom and I to make concerned eye contact. We looked around. Couldn’t determine whose projectile it was. And shrugged with a laugh. “Kids.”
Moments later, two young boys around five or six years of age ran by, shrieking. Even though the park was rather crowded, these two stuck out in my mind for the state of their faces- they were simply covered in marker, like a Crayola factory had angrily exploded onto cheekbones and foreheads.
Another rock zoomed past, but now I could see that the bigger of the boys had wielded it. And his younger bro’s weapon of choice was a sharpened stick. And now they were both under the jungle gym with Nora.
“Hi,” she said. And the younger boy sliced the stick across her cheek. (To her credit, she pushed his arm away and stared incredulously without a single tear.) Thankfully, the boys’ Mom dashed over before I had to say a word (’cause that’s a whole ‘nother story right there) but raised more than a few eyebrows with what she told her kids:
“You can’t play that way with girls- girls are DELICATE.”
A million responses shot through my mind, but- keeping in mind that we love this park (and also peace-keeping)- I informed the mother that Nora was pretty tough. But I agreed that sticks shouldn’t go on faces. (Neither should markers, but again- I opted for tact.)
But come on. In today’s world, on the playground and off, are we really doing our kids any favors by reinforcing decades-old stereotypes? I know a fabulously sweet little boy whose favorite game is dressing up like various characters in Mary Poppins- with Mary’s costume being the best part. And my teensy little toddler gal thinks it’s simply hilarious to run at full speed and fake out a good pratfall. (It takes years off of my life when she does it atop the park’s shaky bridge, but I can’t imagine it would be less terrifying if she were a toddler boy.)
I think we can all agree, however, that rocks shouldn’t be thrown by either gender. Unless, of course, they’re being whipped towards mothers who don’t instill kindness, respect, and similar rules towards (and for) all kids.
Mentally thrown rocks, of course.
I really don’t condone violence.
Image: Eddie~S
