Sunday, 14th March 2010
No sex in the city
Alison Bezzina
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20100314/alison-bezzina/no-sex-in-the-cityThe first thing some parents want to know about their children is their sex. Many want it revealed to them even before the child is born, and once told what the sex is, they immediately start forming their unborn children's identity based on what happens to be forming in between their legs.
From picking out pink curtains with flowers for the girls, to choosing blue sheets with cars for the boys; from expecting a nice docile character from the girl, to bracing themselves for a mischievous brat of a boy; from dreaming about their girl's future as a beautiful bride, to imagining their boy graduating from medical school... the list of ludicrous gendered expectations goes on and on.
But what if it wasn't so straightforward? What if, like intelligence and personality, it was not possible to know our children's sex before we got to know them? And, perhaps even more importantly, before they got to know themselves?
