August 30, 2010, 9:35 am
Toughening Up a Little Boy?
By LISA BELKIN
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/toughening-up-a-little-boy/A local ad has caused a national stir this past week. And it raises interesting parenting questions.
It shows a little boy trying on his mother's bright, red heels in one photo and her bright red lipstick in another. The logo of the Key Biscayne's Academy Of Martial Arts, tucked into the corner, is subtle. The message is not. The suggestion is that karate would toughen up that feminine boy.
What was intended for a local audience has gone viral, and comments seem to fall into two categories. The first is outrage at the suggestion that "feminine" behavior in boys is something to be "addressed" rather than accepted. The second is resignation presented as practicality. Life is still tougher for a boy who defies gender expectations, they say, and good parents help a child fit in.
