Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails

Boys will be boys. That's how the saying goes. I don't use that as an enabling excuse, but the reality is that boys and girls have predispositions to act certain ways. That's the way they are made.

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of !
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!

Apparently a school board in Dennis Township, New Jersey doesn't appreciate this well known fact.
They suspended a 7 year old student for drawing a stick figure holding a gun and giving it to a friend. The other child's parents complained to the school, so the school suspended the student. Really? Give me a break.
My first thought was that the school board was being ridiculous and unreasonable. Now, however, I am just floored that the friend's parents went the school and complained. I teach my children not to tattle. Oh sorry, but I do. Why didn't the parents call the little boys' parents?

The point is, little boys love guns. Number One Son started making his fingers into the shape of a gun when he was about 2 1/2. He had never seen a gun. Not on TV, in a game, much less in real life. DH played with "guns" and he is not a serial criminal or a murderer. These boys just like to be boys and play boy games. Saying that it will damage them and cause them to be violent is as ludicrous as saying that a little girl is going to become promiscuous because she likes Bratz dolls, lipstick and draws hearts on Zac Efron's face. That's, well, stupid.

Now, I agree, some things are too violent for children, there are plenty of TV shows and video games that are not appropriate for children. And we should monitor what our children watch and do.

But to punish a child in such an extreme way for drawing a fun picture for his friend is mean. Sometimes our school teachers and administrators go a little overboard because they are trying to avoid possible issues. Example. Number One Son got in trouble when he was in Kindergarten many years ago for kissing a classmate on the cheek. He is a very affectionate boy, and I was very angry at the teachers for making him feel bad for being kind to his friend. They informed me that sexual harassment laws prohibited students from touching each other in that way. Yes. That is really what they said. I said, "HE'S FIVE!!!!"

There are so many other arguments here, I won't even go into boys playing with dolls and girls playing with trucks. Good grief. They are children, let them be children, it is their JOB to play and be creative in ANY WAY they so choose. We have taken away so much fun from our children, THAT is what is going to cause them to be criminals. But that is another blog for another day.

Have a wonderful week, remind your kids to be politically correct, only draw daisies & puppies, and to save their kisses for Mom & Dad. Just kidding!