Yesterday I spent the whole day volunteering at the Polar Plunge. I was assigned to work in the kids tent at the pick a duck game. As I sat at the game, I couldnt help but watch the parents around me interacting with their kids. One mom specifically stood out to me when she brought her son and daughter over to play the games. The little boy walked up to the pool to pick his duck first. He sat down on the ground, grabbed a duck, threw it down into the water, then began splashing and playing in it. Next, the little girl walked up for her turn. When she tried to sit on the ground her mom quickly stopped her, saying "Careful! Dont sit on the yucky ground...you dont want to get your pretty clothes all dirty." This caught my attention, and clearly confused the little girl, because just seconds earlier her brother had been allowed to do that very thing.
Next, she tried to pick a duck, but before she could, her mom grabbed her arms to pull up her sleeves so they wouldnt get wet. Finally the girl was allowed to grab a duck, but before she could throw it into the water like her brother had, the mom took it from her hand and gently set it into the water. Then the girl tried to join her brother in splashing in the water, and was pulled away by her mom. The little girl looked so confused that she couldnt act the same ways as her brother. This mom was just one of the many parents I saw that day that were clearly raising their children to fit into the stereotypical "man" or "lady boxes" of society. It was so obvious that the majority of the parents were trying to raise their children this way, and it seemed like they didnt even realize it.
