Do you think we should tell kids how to act and dress?

Parent have to let their children free. So, I chose the third one "Guide them but don't stop them".

 

Let them choose the way they want to express themselves. If it makes them happy, then that's all a parent should want right?

 

I chose 'guide them but don't stop them.' They should let their children choose their lives but obviously guide them in the right direction and help them out.

 

Isn't 1 and 2 the same thing? I think you should let your kids gave a free mind. There is no happiness in a box.

 

In theory I would say let them choose what they like (within financial reason). If they look at something they like the look of, there's a good reason they've singled it out. If it brings them happiness or it gets added to the list of things they don't like, either way they find out more about themselves and get experience from it. Lots of people say childhood is about learning, so why put red tape around that learning?

By all means guide them, but give them space to experiment and choose.

 

Third option.
They do need guidance of some sort in their early years (that's what their parents are there for) but not forced, definitely.

 

I'd let them dress any way they like, so long as it's not that horrid, pastel preppy look from Vineyard Vines, or the epitome of emulating the desire to appear rich and white, Abercrombie and Fitch.

But aside from that, if I had a boy, he could dress like Rainbow Dash or Darth Vader, and it'd be fine by me.

 

No comment. :lol:


Given the fact that I grew up with parents who "guided" me in my shopping, I'd like to do the same for a child. I very much like children to dress according to their gender, but would accommodate if a child felt uncomfortable. This isn't a topic I have experience with because no one in my family has been gender variant so I'd like to approach it with tact and reason. That said, I'd say "hell no" to certain things like mohawks and excessive piercing (i.e., anything that's not on the earlobe), and anything that might cause ridicule or threat to safety.

 

Let kids do what they want, within some reason. Guide them, but don't force them into a box.

 

I liked NPH's quote on role models and gender expression. It's important for kids to have male and female role models, regardless of the parents' genders. Also if the baby boy picks up a doll or baby girl picks up a robot and plays with it, by all means let them play with it. I would let my kids be free to explore.

I would guide them in certain areas, but not force. But like AlamoCity said, if anything is perceived to be a threat to their safety, then I would intervene more assertively.

 

That's odd, I forgot about the safety part. I recall in the late 1980s, I had a Mohawk in my first year of college, and got beat up by this big jocky guy, walking down the sidewalk...a long story, but luckily the police intervened, and arrested the guy.

But now that I look back, in that era in the midwest, mohawks were still very radical, and, in some way, it was the danger of having a look like that which made it all the more appealing.

I think it's getting harder and harder to have a look that's endangering; much of it depends where you are.

In any event, even though it earned me a few bruises and a concussion, I miss those days of looking edgy, it gave me a certain energy.

 

Let them wear what they want and act how they want, as long as it does not hurt themselves or others.

 

Oops. I meant to choose "Let them choose how they dress and act" (in terms of gender, safety and morals still being taught, of course) but instead I went with "Guide them but don't stop them" - which I don't really disagree with, but I still messed up.

 

I'd say to an extent but if they like something them let them
Gender isn't really a huge deal for me so I'd let them dress how they want to an extent

 

+1!

 

In terms of gendered clothes, absolutely not. In terms of making sure children are wearing appropriate and practical clothes, yes.

If I have children, there's no way I'm going to let them wear frilly and delicate dresses that will be ruined as they play. :lol:

As for acting, I don't think anyone should be limited along gender lines, but telling your children how to act politely and so on is important.

 

As a parent myself, I and the children's mom decide everything they wear, by what we buy. My oldest can choose his own clothes from what he has. When they reach the age where they can choose clothes for themselves, I will be happy for them to choose themselves within reason. At the end if the day, I'm not paying for any old crap, neither would I let them wear something that they are likely to get bullied for.

For those who say you'll let your kids wear and act as they want too, if you ever become parents, I think you may be in for a shock.

Happy days

 

Do what you want, but don't make rash decisions and don't be an asshole to others.

 

I have always stood by the 4 C's at my house:

No crack showing
No cleveage showing
Clean
Combed hair

The rest is incidental. I have always explained that they have the right to choose how to dress within those 4Cs. But be prepared for comments both possitive and negative. I have not had any problems with my kids dress or attitude about it.