Let Girls Play

Have you ever wondered why it’s okay for girls to be sensitive? Are they born that way, or do they develop the trait as a result of the way they are treated as infants or young children? After coming across an article written by a frustrated mother who raised her daughter in a male-dominated neighborhood, the question was raised. Growing up, her daughter often played alone without female companionship. One might agree that there is a correlation between a girl’s sensitivity and how she was treated, relative to playmates, during her formative years.

            If there are three toddlers on the floor playing and they begin to play rough, even if they are laughing and giggling, the boys will be told not to be so rough with the girl. Although the girl was clearly enjoying herself, according to society norms, rough play is not “appropriate behavior.” Chances are, parents are fearful of the children “rough-housing” and the girl eventually getting hurt. When boys pull out their army trucks and toy guns, why do we take those away from a little girl and give her a Barbie doll? While those toys are not harmful, many think it seems more suitable for a girl to play with something less violent and more gentler.

            Once that little girl reaches her school-aged years and wants to play sports, her choices will be different from that of her counterpart. Even if she wants to tackle or wrestle, rarely will a school allow a girl on the football or wrestling team in fear that she will get injured. If she wants to get dirty, she can always play softball, but it will be different than boy’s baseball. The ball will be softer, the game will be shorter, and the ball will be thrown differently so she does not strain her arm. Basketball will also hold the same double standard. Fouls will be called differently and certain moves will be prohibited. If she is just as capable as her male counterpart, why must she play by a different set of rules?

            The double standard for how girls and boys behave will follow her as she continues to mature. When school years begin to wind down and college approaches, it is assumed she will choose a career “suitable” for a woman, but if she picks an officer, firefighter, doctor, lawyer, or engineer, she will have to work twice as hard to prove herself in a male-dominated field.

            Sadly, it continues that, women doing the same job as a man gets paid less, leaving women’s rights a critical point in politics today. The number of women CEOs compared to men is 1 in every 20. The question remains, does knowing the odds are against her, affect her career choices? Although too young to remember, she has been manipulated because of her gender since she was playing on the playground. Would things be different if society would just “let girls play?”

Idea From:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lyz-lenz/gender-discrimination_b_1987291.html?utm_hp_ref=parents-toddlers

New Year’s Resolutions- Helpful or Hindrance?

As we said goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013, many of us focused on our annual New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s loosing those extra ten pounds or being a more positive person, resolutions give people hope that the next year will be better than the last. Frequently, resolutions last for the first half of the year. Comfort and acceptance of our flaws yield to vowing this will be the last year of imperfection.

            According to The Journal of Clinical Psychology, less than ten percent of the population reach their goal for the new year. Upon encountering hardship, almost forty percent never make their goal. The remaining attempters strive for a goal that they will partially reach, struggling to stick to it a little longer, but just never get there.

            The five most common New Year’s resolutions are losing weight, saving money, quitting smoking, finding love, and getting organized. Now why do most of these resolutions fail to succeed? Majority of people never accomplish their goals for two reasons, 1. We try to stop “cold turkey” and 2. We set limits on everything all at the same time. A better chance for success involves tossing strict restraints out of the window. Here are some helpful tips to help make it into that ten percent:

Losing Weight- Don’t set a limit on how much weight you want to loose nor set a specific date. Diets mean that they will eventually end when you reach your target weight, often time causing you to regain the lost weight. Why not make eating healthier foods and exercising 3-4 days per week a lifestyle habit? The weight will eventually fall, and stay, off.

   Saving Money- Instead of depriving yourself of something you enjoy, such as that weekly restaurant date or family outing, get rid of something that you don’t need. For instance, do you need every premium channel on cable that costs an extra $50 per month?

  Quit Smoking- Don’t just wait until January 1^st and say that you’ll quit smoking forever. If you quit “cold turkey”, it’s challenging to make that work. Try to slowly cut back from a pack a day, to a half a pack, to a few, to one, then let them fad away.

   Finding Love- You can’t say, “I going to fall in love this year.” Love will show up when you least expect it. Just be patient.

     Getting Organized- If your life is cluttered from school, work, home, or kids, slowly get everything in order. Buy a planner. Write down activities, dinners, play dates, etc. Take a weekend once a month and get things organized in the house. Take baby steps, not large leaps.

When making a resolution, keep in mind that change doesn’t happen overnight. Resolutions take time, effort, and much patience. If you’re not ready to hit a few stumbling blocks, you may not achieve your ultimate goal, so expect to hit a setback or two, all the while keeping your eye on the goal. Remember that the original point of a resolution was to better yourself over time, not create a short term goal to change an imperfection. Devise a plan to change your lifestyle and maintain the goal once reached. This may even take more than one year, but could last a lifetime.