girls will be boys

I’m really excited to feature a post by fellow blogger, Ketan Anjaria today. Recently, I came across one of Ketan’s posts in my Facebook feed. It was a simply written article on how to be happy and as soon I finished reading it I knew I had to connect with him. I shared with the team and everyone was hooked. We agreed that the male perspective he gives to many topics including having “the talk” with his daughter, to dating tips as a single father to the things that he feels brings success to our lives, was refreshing. Ketan’s writing style is so candid, humorous and insightful…he’s a great representative of the equally important perspective that we just don’t cover enough, that of a father.

Before we get to his post…a little more about this busy, single dad.

ketandaughter

(daughter + dad)

Based out of San Francisco, Ketan is a designer, developer, founder and currently runs three startups.  He jokes that “the startups are usually crankier than the kid.” He also regularly posts on Medium too.

And now onto the post.  Here’s his take on coddling our daughters, a must read especially for all moms + dads out there raising a girl.

-Shraddha

 girls will be boys by ketan anjaria

As my daughter was growing up, I was always confused by how much other people seemed to be focused on her beauty. True, all children are beautiful but if a little girl constantly hears her value is in her beauty, what are we really teaching her?

The truth is if we are going to change the world and bring in equality for both women and men, it starts with parenting.

Too often you see a young boy getting away with stuff with the admonition, “boys will be boys” but somehow girls don’t get that same freedom.

They have to be nice or helpful or quiet but never aggressive or adventurous or independent. And this happens from both parents, I’ve seen moms and dads equally limiting in what constitutes proper behavior for a girl.

Our girls just need to kick ass. They need to get dirty and play in the mud without people judging them on their beauty. They need to be rough housed with the same glee and joy as our boys. Throw them in air when they are babies, tackle them when they are toddlers and wrestle with them when they are kids.

I’m not sure where the idea came from that a “strong” woman means her mind and not her body.

And as a father a lot of that responsibility lies on us. Yes daddy’s girl is an amazing connection but daddy’s kick ass tough as nails house wrecker is pretty awesome too.

What’s amazing is a father’s most important job is to teach our girls that they don’t need a man to be happy.

They just need themselves.

 

Ketan can be reached @kidbombay.

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