Gone are the days of gender-based stereotypes where cricket and
football were meant for boys and cooking was a domain for girls. Gender Neutral Parenting is the new
norm for raising kids that are more resilient, liberal, and avant-garde.
Raising your kids without imposing gender norms helps them develop new
identities by exploring their interests in different domains.
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| Know about Gender-Neutral Parenting Style |
Before you
embrace this idea into your parenting style, here is everything you should know
about Gender Neutral Parenting, its
benefits and challenges.
Gender Neutral Parenting
Definition
Gender Neutral Parenting focuses on raising a kid without rigid
expectations based on gender. In other words, you stop telling your kids that
certain things are meant for only girls and others for only boys. This
parenting approach does not follow any definitive rules.
Raising kids in Gender-Neutral Envirnoment
You can embrace Gender Neutral Parenting Style even
before your baby is born. You can incorporate a gender-free approach into
your parenting style in the following ways:
Decorating Your Child’s Nursery Using Neutral Color tone
We all have certain color schemes and themes in mind when we welcome a
baby into the family. However, you can decorate the nursery of your little one
using intriguing neutral color tones and engaging gender-neutral themes without
picking a default pink for a girl and a default blue for a boy.
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| Gender-neutral nursery for baby |
Using Gender Neutral Language
Using gender-neutral pronouns and baby names until your
child expresses a preference can take your parenting to the next level.
Choosing An Assortment of Toys and Activities
You can never know what your child might be interested in until you
expose them to different types of activities and let them try those firsthand.
Allow your kids to play with a variety of toys like board games, dolls, kitchen
sets, miniature vehicles, and building blocks.
Further, help your kids pursue
different sports and activities that they find interesting irrespective of
their gender.
Selecting Gender-Neutral Clothing
One dilemma we often face while choosing clothes for our kids or
expected newborns is selecting the color and type of clothing. However, you can
find many cool and trendy gender-neutral baby clothes from leading brands. Pick
neutral color tones and gender-neutral designs until your children develop
their color preferences, fashion trends, and clothing brands.
Buy Unisex Clothing Here!
Exposing Your Kids to Diversity And Experimentation
You can introduce your kids to various activities by motivating them
through different stories, role models, and media sources. You can read
motivating children’s books and encourage them to watch podcasts and videos of
achievers who have done wonders in their fields irrespective of gender.
Book Club for Kids
Let
them experiment and explore different domains. Make sure that you address your
kids with non-gendered non-stereotyped compliments while encouraging them so
that they can develop a high sense of self irrespective of their gender.
If you need to learn more about the topic you can read Gender-Neutral Parenting books to have
a better understanding of the concept and how to implement it into your daily
parenting style. Further, tons of Gender-Neutral Parenting articles from renowned parenting bloggers can provide a deep insight into the subject.
Gender Neutral Parenting
Pros and Cons
Gender-Neutral Parenting provides kids with freedom of expression
without any judgment. Children raised with a gender-neutral parenting style seem to be more open and accepting
as they grow up. Here are certain pros and cons of gender-neutral parenting in
a nutshell:
Increased Creativity
Kids raised in a gender-neutral environment are highly creative and
more expressive. They can freely choose between different interests and varied
identities.
Improved Confidence
Kids raised with a gender-neutral approach grow and develop
into confident people. They are always true to their authentic self and
confidently pursue different interests and hobbies, regardless of any
restrictions.
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| Do you agree with gender-neutral parenting style? |
Enhanced Self-Esteem
Children who are allowed to explore different domains freely, without
any stereotypes, develop a higher level of self-esteem and self-love. They are
more aware and grow into better leaders.
Open-Mindedness
Kids exposed to gender-neutrality are more open-minded toward new
ideas and diverse views. They can freely make their choices without pressure or
social norms.
Related post- Raising Inclusive Kids- Tips and Strategies to Follow
Peer Pressure and Resistance
The idea of gender equality or
Gender Neutral Parenting opposes the traditional parenting style.
Therefore, other parents or peers may find it confusing and unacceptable. As a result, the child may have difficulty adjusting to new expression
choices and pronouns when attending school or meeting other kids. Moreover, it
can be challenging and frustrating to avoid stereotypes in a social setup
completely.
Unconscious Bias
When others in the family are not implementing this parenting
approach, it can be draining for parents. Subsequently, parents following a
gender-neutral approach often struggle to balance their ideas with prevalent
beliefs.
References-
https://www.themotherbabycenter.org/
https://parenting.firstcry.com/
https://www.choosingtherapy.com/
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