Why i wish my friends would talk about the hard shit with their kids more.

[maevele]

I had a nine year old ask me "What's a feminist?" And I know me and this kids father are not on the same page there. So I just had to answer it as bast I could in a short answer with someone else's kid.

Then tonight I was talking to the kid's dad. and he's like, "BTW, were you letting my kid watch RENT here? Because he had some interesting "What's This Word Mean?" questions yesterday and when I asked where he got those words, he said rent."

And I was like, yeah, "well, my kids were watching it, and we've already had those talks where we needed to, so I didn't even think about it.and like, my kid watches stuff that's a lot more violent than he would at home when he's at your house, sp i figured my house my call. He really likes rent, anyway And, oh yeah, i explained feminism to your kid yesterday. you might wanna go over it with him." and then there was, well, shock and confusion, but no actual anger, thankfully. I'm gonna lend dude rent, so he can decide whether his kid can watch it at my house, and what he wants to explain, and what he's okay with me answering questions about.

This shouldn't be an issue. You shouldn't be aghast at the idea that you might have to explain AIDS to your nine year old. Or aghast that I have already had those talks with my seven yr old. A nine year old should know the word feminist, shouldn't he? what ae they teaching in these schools?

Comments

In children's terms...

[lady-alyria.livejournal.com]

Feminism - it's when you believe men and women are equal and should be able to do the same things.

AIDS - it's a disease, like cancer.

I bet my mom wishes those were the words I asked about as a kid. Every time I asked about a word my mom had to ask where I heard it. I still remember the conversations surrounding the following terms.

Rape - third grade Stranger Danger lecture
Ejaculation - Kennedy rape trial
Orgasm - Kennedy rape trial
Dildo - stand up comedy skit

Re: In children's terms...

[maevele.livejournal.com]

Oh, I explained it no problem, as I've already explained these things to my own kid. ""Feminism is noticing that things aren't equal between men and women, and trying to change that." Apparently he went home and asked his dad what transsexual meant after the rent thing. Which I don't even think he'd have picked up that particular word from the parts of rent I let the kids watch, but I think it was the "Trisexuals" line in la vie boheme.

Re: In children's terms...

[kitashla.livejournal.com]

Ha. My husband asked his father what a dildo was when he was 7 and in the middle of a packed grocery line.

Fortunately, mine always wait until we're not in public.

[kitashla.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I had to stop and think whether or not I'd ever explained feminism to my eldest.

I realize that I've been explaining the concepts for years and years. I've discussed womens' roles through out time, how fortunate she is to be able to go to school because there are girls in other countries who can not. We've talked about at what time women actually got to vote and we've discussed that women still don't make as much as a man does in the same job.

And I realize that I've never used the word feminist or feminism. Not on purpose or anything. I just never used it.

Right now the greatest issue I'm having is making it so she doesn't grown every time her father and I use the word "lesbian" in conversation. Her school has moved on from "gay" and "fag" and now everyone is a lesbian, so when her father and I talk about it, she groans and says she's sick of that word.

I don't care whether the idjits at her school use it or not. I'm glad that my kid has grasped the concept that there is nothing wrong with homo, b-, pan, sexuality, but I'm not going to stop talking about things because she doesn't like the word. 0.o

What, does she want me to refer to a friend as a fluffy pink pony?