{"id":329,"date":"2011-12-11T04:51:24","date_gmt":"2011-12-11T12:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/?p=329"},"modified":"2011-12-11T04:51:24","modified_gmt":"2011-12-11T12:51:24","slug":"10-reasons-you-should-not-call-your-son-a-sissy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2011\/12\/11\/10-reasons-you-should-not-call-your-son-a-sissy\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons You Should Not Call Your Son a Sissy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Historically, the distinctions between male and female characteristics have been clearly defined by society and only recently have the lines been blurred. Now the societal roles of men and women are not as rigidly delineated as in times past, so the tendency to insist that boys be boys and girls be girls is in some ways an arcane ideal.<\/p>\n

Labels reinforce negative self-images, such as calling a boy a sissy for behavior that has traditionally been more associated with girls. We\u2019re going to share ten reasons why you shouldn\u2019t call your son a sissy.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Instilling the notion in your son that he\u2019s a sissy for crying will force him to subjugate those feelings for fear of ridicule, usually resulting in his acting out in other ways to compensate.<\/li>\n
  2. Labels can be self-fulfilling for a young mind. Eventually he becomes what you\u2019ve programmed him to believe what he was already.<\/li>\n
  3. Dissuading him from self-expression or engaging in activities that may not agree with your concept of masculine behavior will discourage him from developing skills that would have otherwise brought fulfillment and even a vocation as an adult.<\/li>\n
  4. Trust is a huge factor in a parent-child relationship. You can irreparably sever this bond by violating his trust with what he will see as rejection.<\/li>\n
  5. What may just be a passing phase or innocent exploration on his part might transform into a fixation by virtue of your declaring it taboo.<\/li>\n
  6. You\u2019re in essence sending a message that it\u2019s not OK for a boy to express things like sensitivity, fear, or compassion. These are not incompatible with genuine manhood, and should be encouraged, not judged.<\/li>\n
  7. Labels also have a tendency to spread; and when they start at the top, from a parent, they roll downhill quickly and with a big head of steam. A parent\u2019s words carry so much weight with a child and can last a lifetime. It\u2019s important to choose them wisely.<\/li>\n
  8. What we teach our children with our words and deeds is transferred to future generations. Negative labels perpetuate stereotypes.<\/li>\n
  9. Many of the virtues that we have historically attributed to the female gender can also benefit males as well as society at large; but they need to be not only nurtured but permitted in your son at an early age.<\/li>\n
  10. We are not so much at risk of raising effeminate children by allowing them to develop their minds and hearts naturally, as we are in danger of handicapping them from healthy relationships and a sense of self-worth if we continue to prohibit \u00a0them from doing so.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Historically, the distinctions between male and female characteristics have been clearly defined by society and only recently have the lines been blurred. Now the societal roles of men and women are not as rigidly delineated as in times past, so … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-child-care-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1542,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329\/revisions\/1542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}