'Boys Will Be Boys'--What Parents Had to Say
An article on The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/13/ban-bossy-sheryl-sandberg-quotes-real-parents) decided to seek out parent’s reactions to the “Ban Bossy” campaign. Some parents stated how it was important for them to teach their daughters to be polite and not to boss others around. Girls are usually taught to be submissive; whereas, boys are taught to be assertive. It is evident that many parents find it more important to teach their daughters to not be ‘bossy’ as opposed to their sons. I think the reason this is stems from the expression, ‘boys will be boys.’ It is often times assumed that boys act up in public due to the nature of their gender. However, if a girl acts up in public, she is looked down upon by society. Daughters are always taught to act like |
ladies, leaving parents less concerned about their sons’ behavior.
On the other hand, there are some parents who found no difference in calling their daughter ‘bossy’ versus calling their son ‘bossy.’ One mother writes, “If one day my daughter is called “bossy”, I’d feel the same way I do as when I hear it about my son.” Some parents look at bossiness as just a trait that is expressed and should be addressed the same way in both males and females. This seems sensible, except that, because females and males are so different from each other, treating this trait the same in both genders doesn’t really make a lot of sense. It is obvious that boys and girls react differently to being called ‘bossy.’ How differently the term ‘bossy’ is perceived by boys and girls should definitely be a consideration for parents. |