Defining a princess...
Last week I was reading about Sally Priesand. She was the first female Rabbi ordained in America. What really surprised me was the year... 1972! This is not that long ago!
Learning about Sally Priesand reminded me how recent and current is the history of women gaining equal rights. She is one of many women that teaches how women can fulfill their dreams with strength, compassion, understanding and brains. She faced great opposition to completing her training and her perseverance and dedication allowed her to full fill this dream.
Statistics show we still have a ways to go before we see true equality for girls. I often ponder the role we each play in this change. We may read articles, perhaps even join in a march or a petition but what thought do we give to the everyday interactions we have with young women? For all the young females we come in contact with there is a need to evaluate and think about our interactions with great reflection and consideration. What do we expose young girls to without thinking? Do we show them old Disney movies? Do we analyze the female characters before we let them watch movies? What toys do we buy young girls to play with? Do we take the time to ask what does this toy say about how I see my daughter? Do we continue to compliment them on their clothes instead of a quality that values their brain? Do we read stories to them and change the words we disagree with or do we allow others to dictate to us the content of which we will teach our daughters, students and young girls?
It is easy to move through our days and overlook the small details that are part of our everyday interactions with our children. It is our job and our privilege to notice how we teach equality each day. We must take the time to reflect on the language we use verbally and non verbally. Do we use the same tone, facial expressions and body language with consideration when interacting with children? Do we recognize we may have biases that have been stored so deep inside of us we don't even know they are there? Are we ok when boys are angry but uncomfortable with a girls anger? Why? Perhaps we should begin by creating a piece of paper and put a picture of a girl and a picture of a boy and write words and characteristics that pop into our mind when we look at the pictures. We may need to retrain our brains to see them as truly equal so that we can wash away years of bias. In so doing we can begin to make our own dent in the fight for equality.
Only recently I was sitting in a class when a little girl told me, "I am a princess, look at my dress." "I wonder if you could still be a princess if you were wearing pants" I suggested. "No." She said. I wonder why you want to be a princess, "Because she's pretty," she said. "Can you tell me more about her," I said and then asked her "What makes someone a princess?" Helping children know the true meaning of a princess might be a good place to start. The Miariam-Webster dictionary defines a princess as a woman of high rank or of high standing in her class or profession. So maybe the question we ask is which profession will you consider as a profession? If the world will continue to dangle the princess play in our market maybe we need to examine how we define a princess. If our daughters want to grow up and be a princess let's teach them what we want that to be not what we are shown in movies and books that does not resonate with us.
The strength I see in these current generations astounds me on a regular basis. Young girls come marching into our preschool with great vigor and attitude. Tomorrow when I go into school I will continue to support their strength and courage while examining and being aware of any of my own biases so that I can say today I did my part in continuing the growth of equality for women!
Learning about Sally Priesand reminded me how recent and current is the history of women gaining equal rights. She is one of many women that teaches how women can fulfill their dreams with strength, compassion, understanding and brains. She faced great opposition to completing her training and her perseverance and dedication allowed her to full fill this dream.
Statistics show we still have a ways to go before we see true equality for girls. I often ponder the role we each play in this change. We may read articles, perhaps even join in a march or a petition but what thought do we give to the everyday interactions we have with young women? For all the young females we come in contact with there is a need to evaluate and think about our interactions with great reflection and consideration. What do we expose young girls to without thinking? Do we show them old Disney movies? Do we analyze the female characters before we let them watch movies? What toys do we buy young girls to play with? Do we take the time to ask what does this toy say about how I see my daughter? Do we continue to compliment them on their clothes instead of a quality that values their brain? Do we read stories to them and change the words we disagree with or do we allow others to dictate to us the content of which we will teach our daughters, students and young girls?
It is easy to move through our days and overlook the small details that are part of our everyday interactions with our children. It is our job and our privilege to notice how we teach equality each day. We must take the time to reflect on the language we use verbally and non verbally. Do we use the same tone, facial expressions and body language with consideration when interacting with children? Do we recognize we may have biases that have been stored so deep inside of us we don't even know they are there? Are we ok when boys are angry but uncomfortable with a girls anger? Why? Perhaps we should begin by creating a piece of paper and put a picture of a girl and a picture of a boy and write words and characteristics that pop into our mind when we look at the pictures. We may need to retrain our brains to see them as truly equal so that we can wash away years of bias. In so doing we can begin to make our own dent in the fight for equality.
Only recently I was sitting in a class when a little girl told me, "I am a princess, look at my dress." "I wonder if you could still be a princess if you were wearing pants" I suggested. "No." She said. I wonder why you want to be a princess, "Because she's pretty," she said. "Can you tell me more about her," I said and then asked her "What makes someone a princess?" Helping children know the true meaning of a princess might be a good place to start. The Miariam-Webster dictionary defines a princess as a woman of high rank or of high standing in her class or profession. So maybe the question we ask is which profession will you consider as a profession? If the world will continue to dangle the princess play in our market maybe we need to examine how we define a princess. If our daughters want to grow up and be a princess let's teach them what we want that to be not what we are shown in movies and books that does not resonate with us.
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