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Yes, I am mad
Mar. 25th, 2016 08:54 pmMy daughter has been dreaming of ninja warrior classes since she was 2. So imagine my excitement when I find out the local gym is going to offer ninja warrior classes to kids her age. Imagine my disappointment when I'm told "They're for boys only at this time."
Worst of all: Having to tell my daughter that she can't take the class because she's a girl.
She asks, "Why does it matter?"
I tell her, "It shouldn't."
The next day she writes a story of the Easter Bunny. She writes, "...so she, because the Easter Bunny was a she, could hide the eggs..."
Next day she asks how ketchup got on the potty. Then she wants to know why women bleed from their vaginas and isn't it a problem because they can't wear band-aids. What's up with boys not having the same issue?
So here I am with my 5.5 year-old thinking she's far too observant and I'm not really ready to have these conversations, but maybe having them earlier is better after all. I love seeing that her instinct is to fight the status quo rather than accept less simply because others say she should.
At the shoe shop, she finds space shoes and wants them in her size. The shoe clerk shows her pink flower shoes in her size instead. She politely explains that she really wants the planets and rockets on the shoe. The shoes are too wide for her but the right length. She finds a pair of pink shoes instead that will suffice, not really understanding why the pink shoes are narrower than all of the space-themed shoes. The clerk apologizes to her and tells her how great it is to love science at her age.
The gym has promised a ninja warrior class for girls in the fall. One of my kid's friends is hoping to join with us. My kid is excited but she still doesn't understand why she has to wait. Honestly? Neither do I.
Worst of all: Having to tell my daughter that she can't take the class because she's a girl.
She asks, "Why does it matter?"
I tell her, "It shouldn't."
The next day she writes a story of the Easter Bunny. She writes, "...so she, because the Easter Bunny was a she, could hide the eggs..."
Next day she asks how ketchup got on the potty. Then she wants to know why women bleed from their vaginas and isn't it a problem because they can't wear band-aids. What's up with boys not having the same issue?
So here I am with my 5.5 year-old thinking she's far too observant and I'm not really ready to have these conversations, but maybe having them earlier is better after all. I love seeing that her instinct is to fight the status quo rather than accept less simply because others say she should.
At the shoe shop, she finds space shoes and wants them in her size. The shoe clerk shows her pink flower shoes in her size instead. She politely explains that she really wants the planets and rockets on the shoe. The shoes are too wide for her but the right length. She finds a pair of pink shoes instead that will suffice, not really understanding why the pink shoes are narrower than all of the space-themed shoes. The clerk apologizes to her and tells her how great it is to love science at her age.
The gym has promised a ninja warrior class for girls in the fall. One of my kid's friends is hoping to join with us. My kid is excited but she still doesn't understand why she has to wait. Honestly? Neither do I.
