2017: Where Kids Can Choose Their Gender, But Not Their Halloween Costume
It wasn’t long ago when kids were kids. They could play with sticks, jump from trees, ride their bikes and be free to have fun. They didn’t have to worry about their identity, rather they were allowed to enjoy the wonder that’s inherent to childhood.
Now, all of that is eroding.
Parents are there to guide children and teach them how to be beneficial members of society and teach them how to be the best version of themselves possible. Now, it seems parents are around to simply indulge their children’s fantasies and teach them how to not offend people and reject their white privilege. At least that’s what it says among many absurd publications.
Why is this such a problem?
The balance between children and parents is that children are meant to explore and enjoy the world, and parents are supposed to be the guides to keep them on track. Kids need to fail and learn, and parents need to be there to pick them up and help them back on their feet. The notion that children should be making life altering decisions about their gender, but can’t decide on a Halloween costume shows that society does not know what childhood is.
The message this conveys is that children’s autonomy and freedom do not extend to the minute decisions in life, rather it is reserved for life-altering decisions that will force parents to support them in adulthood. Society is teaching its youth to be adult children. Children should be learning how to make small decisions so they can practice rational thinking, and parents should be evaluating these decisions so their children can improve them. That is how children transition into adulthood.
What can be done?
Parents and society must remember that kids are kids and treat them as such. Let them make basic choices and learn from mistakes. They need to skin their knees to learn to be careful. Parents should let them fail so they can learn by experience. Let kids stand up to bullies. Most importantly, participation trophies need to go.
Childhood is a time to explore. It is not a time to politicize a child’s choices in life. People need to stop being offended by a child’s innocent play. They are not representing white privilege by dressing as Moana, so stop whining. For those who cannot handle seeing a child enjoy being dressed as their favorite Disney Princess because you consider it cultural appropriation, grow up. Apparently your parents needed to read a little of this article to understand how to guide you into adulthood.
Sorry for the harsh words, but the “problems” of cultural appropriation are incredibly misguided and neglect the actual problems in America and the rest of the world. Focusing on Halloween costumes instead of gang violence just allows more young kids to be gunned down in Chicago daily while the deniers of white privilege virtue signal to the rest of society.
In other words, let kids be kids, parents are guides not servants and get your damn priorities straight.
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