Being a good parent

male-nanny

I just had such a great moment with my friend who happens to be a mom with a husband and adorable little boy.  She sent me a picture of her little boy at daycare.  Her son was being held by a gay man who works at the day care.  I’m assuming he is a teacher or teacher’s assistant.  The point of the conversation was for my friend to show me how much her son loves this particular member of the daycare team.

The conversation warmed my heart because there are many people out there that would say “I don’t want a gay man taking care of my little boy at daycare”.  That is sadly the reality of the world we live in.  My friend went on to tell me that there have been parents who have actually complained.  To respect the privacy of my friend, I won’t say which state we are talking about here but let’s just say it isn’t Texas.

This is just one small example of the difference you can make in a child’s life.  Our opinions, the way we talk and the actions we take shape the world our children live in.  Imagine for a moment if you happen to be a gay child growing up and you heard your parents spewing anti-gay propaganda.  What does that do to you? I sadly know all too well what that does to someone and I can tell you it’s not fun.  It’s very easy for people to say “well…I didn’t know any better”.  I disagree.  As an adult and as a parent, it’s your job to know better.

The same can be said for any bigoted comment regarding any group (race, religion, etc.).  It isn’t just a “gay” issue.  That said, this example came up and I  wanted to share.  I am so proud of my friend.   I am so happy there are people like this in the world.  We need more people that “get it”.  Please help do your part.

 

Adoption benefits on hold in Utah for same-sex couples

Sean Reyes, Utah’s attorney general and bigot supreme has blocked same-sex couples from adopting.  The reason you ask? Because the courts are still working on “the issue” of same-sex marriage.  So…same-sex couples in Utah are now not allowed to adopt until the little “issue” of equality is addressed.

Reyes went to the Supreme Court and essentially asked them to stop same-sex adoptions until same-sex marriage issues are addressed.  The Supreme Court honored his request.  The icing on the bigot cake is that there are some couples out there that were legally married (when same-sex marriage was legal in Utah) and who are trying to adopt.   Reyes decided these families should not be allowed to adopt… he is literally going after these people one by one.

If you read a lot of the news articles out there on this it is a bit confusing… The net of it is that Reyes has worked hard to make life difficult for same-sex couples.   So the state of Utah is essentially saying that one straight parent is better than two same-sex parents who are in a loving and committed relationship.

Here is my one question for the people who oppose same-sex marriage and adoption.  Are there other issues you should focus on?

Pink or blue?

Ever stop and wonder why girls have pink toys and boys have blue toys? Is there something behind it? From what we have learned from classes and from real life experience in marketing, it is basically marketers creating consumer segments to market to.  We did some additional digging and found a great source of information called “The Pink & Blue Project”.  The Pink & Blue Project takes a look at the commercialization of gender colors.

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Image from jeongmeeyoon.com

JeongMee Yoon started the Pink & Blue Project because of her daughters fascination with pink.  She asked the very smart question, “where does this fascination with pink come from?”.  As you read what we write here, you will notice that we will always ask the question why.  It’s a great question! Do girls naturally like pink and boys naturally like blue? Of course not.  As Yoon points out, pink used to be a color that was considered masculine.  Here is my favorite piece from her article.

In 1914, The Sunday Sentinel, an American newspaper, advised mothers to “use pink for the boy and blue for the girl, if you are a follower of convention.” The change to pink for girls and blue for boys happened in America and elsewhere only after World War II. As modern society entered twentieth century political correctness, the concept of gender equality emerged and, as a result, reversed the perspective on the colors associated with each gender as well as the superficial connections that attached to them . Today, with the effects of advertising on consumer preferences, these color customs are a worldwide standard.

LOVE when people think outside the box! You should too.  You can read more about the author and artist JeongMee Yoon here.