How do I explain to my young child the reason girls and women (around us and in children’s books) often do have long hair?
We can say to our child, “I’ve noticed that, too. It is common to see girls and women with long hair. In our culture, girls are encouraged to wear their hair long and boys are encouraged to wear their hair short. Kids can choose to wear their hair short or long. (Here you could ask, “What do you think of that?” and listen without judgment.) You may find there are some things you’ll want to follow in our culture and some things you won’t. How you wear your hair is up to you.
We might also want to add, “When you notice something else, I’d like to hear about it. I am interested in what you have to say.”
Modeling Gender Equity | Words That Identify Gender | Handling Disagreements With Life Partner | Benefits of Not Emphasizing Gender | Keeping Gender in the Background | How Critical to Knowing Someone Is Biological Sex or Gender? | Overcoming Uncomfortable Discussions About Reproductive Parts | Handling Stereotypical Behaviours | Handling “Be a Man” Directives Towards Son | Handling “Smile” or “Hug Me” Directives Towards Daughter | Suggest to P.E. Teacher Not to Divide Teams By Gender | Explaining Why Girls and Women in Children’s Books Have Long Hair | Using Other Adjectives When Praising Your Child | Handling Pronouns for Toddlers | Handing Pronouns for Younger School-Age Children | Handing Pronouns for Older School-Age Children
