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.

 

LOVE for the 11-year bullied boy who attempted suicide

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This is just amazing.  The You Will Rise project is a a blog that is dedicated to sharing stories through art and empowering folks that were bullied.    They started an ArtForMichael blog that is art specifically for Michael Morones who was bullied at school by kids for liking the TV show My Little Pony.  Michael later attempted to take his own life and is still in critical condition.  I wrote about that horrible sad store here. 
This is a heartwarming effort to make a tragic situation a little less tragic.  Let’s all continue to send Michael our best wishes and be sure to check out ArtForMichael

Kudos and a big hug to the folks who started this blog.  This story gets me every time.  I just can’t imagine how this poor boy felt.  At 11. 

Please do all that you can to spread awareness.  Gender roles are made up.  We can break the cycle through education and being open-minded.

11-year-old boy attempts suicide after being bullied

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Michael Morones

This is so heartbreaking.  An 11-year-old boy tried to take his own life in late January.  Michael Morones was allegedly teased relentlessly by the lids in school  Why you ask? Because he loved to play with the ‘My Little Pony’ toys.  He remains in critical condition and may have sustained permanent brain damage as a result of his suicide attempt.  Additionally, he currently has a tube in his throat.  

Here is what his mother had to say to reporters.  I am literally crying as I am reading about this and writing.  “He’s the kid that never walks. He dances everywhere,”.  “He’s so full of energy. He’s always on the move… We won’t know for months how much is going to heal. It could even be years before we find out what potential for healing he has.”.

I have written a good amount about gender roles and how BS it all is.  I have also illustrated examples of how marketers have decided “pink is for girls” and “blue is for boys”.  Check out some of what I have to say here. 

Reports are stating that Michael was so upset because kids at school were calling him gay for liking a “girls TV show”.  This is just disgusting.  This is 100% on the parents of those children who are so ignorant and close-minded.  As I have repeatedly mentioned, there is NO SUCH THING as “girls” and “boys” tv shows, toys, colors, etc.  This is a value that marketers place on things to segment consumers and SELL TO THEM.  That is all there is to it.  Then we have gender roles and homophobia which is perpetuated by religion through various propaganda vehicles.

This cycle has GOT TO STOP.  Please help spread this story and share awareness.  Share on social media, tell a friend.  Do your part.

TEARS

Check your pulse if this doesn’t make you cry! Guuuurl. Trying to discreetly cry on a plane right now.
So sweet! Kisses!

Love Don Lemon!

What a great role model! Good for him! Well said sir. Great advice on coming out.

Touching coming out video

Take a look. Quite lovely!

Amazing advice!

Check out the amazing advice to a homophobic mom from an advice column! LOVES IT!!

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Parenting

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Parenting is probably the most important topic that we can write about here.  That is where the cycles typically begin for bigotry.  Remember, children are not born to hate.  We teach them.  We will continue to post about kids/family issues as they come our way.  

We have added a kids/toddlers section where there are some GREAT resources on how to address the topic of same sex relationships with kids.

Check it out!

 

 

 

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.

Barbies for boys

J Crew ad with Creative Director Jenna Lyons who painted her son’s toenails pink in this ad. The ad caused some controversy because it challenged traditional gender roles.

As a kid I always wanted barbies and dolls. I never wanted to play with “boy” toys. I enjoyed Legos and some action figures but not nearly as much as a doll or Barbie.

My parents were very much against me playing with any “girl” toys so as a middle ground I was able to play with My Little Pony. But my grandmother (who lived in Israel), saw no issue with me playing with dolls. I’ll never forget the day she sent me a doll as long as I live. It was such a simple gesture and it brought me more joy than I can even express. I automatically tear up whenever I think of that amazing and brave act of kindness.

My point of sharing that story is that there is that toys shouldn’t follow gender guidelines. If a boy wants to play with a doll, it’s ok. He shouldn’t be made to feel like he is less than or weird for that. Why is pink a girls color and why is blue a boys color? Because some marketers decided that years ago. Something to think about…

First post!

Woohoo!

This is officially my first post! I have to say…it feels AMAZING.  This is going to be an amazing journey and I would be honored to have you join me.  This is about helping people.  Helping people come out of the closet, helping parents support their kids, helping people see things differently.

Let’s make it happen! Click on the + Follow button on the bottom of your screen to keep in touch.
Kisses!