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From: pc@hplabsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Non-Sexist Upbringing
Message-ID: <2285@hplabsb.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-May-84 16:14:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabsb.2285
Posted: Wed May 23 16:14:31 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 30-May-84 09:10:54 EDT
References: <4337@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 22


Dave (and other kid-people),

	I, too, have given this non-sexist question some thought.  
My conclusion is that sexual identity is critical.  A child needs
a sense of sexual identity in the process of answering the question
"Who am I?"  
	The challenge, as I see it, is to put that sexual identity
into perspective.  (I.e., sexual identity isn't everything and it
sure isn't a reasonable basis for discrimination.)  The difficulty
I have with my (very young) son, is to make him feel good about
being a boy without somehow implying that it's BETTER/WORSE than being
a girl...different, yes; better/worse, no.
	So, my dilemma is finding ways to acknowledge his gender and
to help him to enjoy being a boy, without making it seem that being
a boy is somehow a position of superiority/inferiority.
	(If I had a daughter, I would be doing EXACTLY the same
things with her.)

					Patricia Collins
					hplabs