Have your say 5D: 'Genderless' baby kicks up a Storm by Tracey Riches https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he What's your reaction to the article? Please make an audio recording of your comments + write your answer to the question: 'Not allowing children to fit in is cruel'. Make sure your name is added. en-us 2020-05-04 13:55:19 UTC 2026-01-16 14:05:24 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f914.png Benedetta Galuppo 5D https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/571909958 Not allowing children to fit in is cruel and I agree.  Many times children are treated as beings not gifted with enough intelligence to be able to understand the speeches of adults but very often children being more sensitive are much more intelligent than adults themselves and much more deeper. Children must be free to choose their way in life. Very often male children are denied to play with a doll because it is considered female when, from my point of view games are made to play not to identify a person.  Children are genuine and do not understand certain differences that society imposes on them between male and female and they feel free to choose but the parents who have grown up with the rules imposed by society, put a brake on the child, not allowing him to fit in completely.  Society today is getting worse, it is always in search of criticism, it prefers hatred to a smile and the children who are the sweetest and purest part of society cannot choose their way, because as soon as they are born there is already  the society that with stereotypes, judgments and criticisms will not allow to fully develop the ideals of that child, who will already have a written future.

MISS I CAN’T SEND THE RECORDING ON PADLET, SO I SENT YOU AN EMAIL WITH THE RECORDING.


]]> 2020-05-14 07:36:45 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/571909958 GONTA GABRIELA 5D https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/573187826 Not allowing children to fit is cruel and I agree with this statement because the child even if he doesn't have a wide knowledge, he understands everything. 
I think the parents have to destroy the social conventions and let their child to live free and choose for example  what toys he wants to play with or also what he wants to be in the future. 
So the problem is our society because it controls us in everything, also our lives. 
We have to learn how to be strong enough to fight the close mentality and how to destroy the "etiquettes" that are given to us since our youth.   

]]> 2020-05-14 16:38:37 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/573187826 GAIA GHIRARDELLO https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/573640766 I completely agree with the statement. Children should explore the world with their eyes and they should be free to be themselves. Parents have to let their children play with whatever they want and dress as they like. In my opinion, society shouldn't put labels on toys, clothes or colours, there's nothing wrong if a boy likes playing with dolls and wearing pink. Personally, I hated playing with dolls when I was a child, I preferred playing football with boys! My parents never complain about my masculine attitude, and that's how it should be! Children have to find themselves and be free from social conventions. If parents don't let their children express themselves, they'll grow up thinking that there's something wrong with them.]]> 2020-05-14 19:48:54 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/573640766 LUCREZIA BORGATO https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/573678731 I agree with the statement. Nowadays we have too many stereotypes and prejudice which don't allow to be ourselves. 'Pink is only for a girl, blu for a boy, a boy has to play footoball while a girl has to practice dance' but in my opinion this is a big mistake for children's education. A child has to be free to express his opinions, passions, feelings and above all to express HIMSELF. If a boy wears a pink t-shirt it ins't 'wrong', but our stereotypes are. We have to change our minds and start to think that all is possibile, if a boy wants to become a dancer is fine and if a girl dosn't want to play with dolls it doesn't matter... what matters is that children grew up with important values as kindness, helpfulness and in particular WITHOUT prejudice. Everyone is special for its personality even if it does not follow social conventions. ]]> 2020-05-14 20:06:45 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/573678731 Brusco Anna https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/574902952 In general, the verb “fit in” gives immediately a sense of safety, but is it necessary to be a part of a defined group? It pops in my mind the image of a flock of sheep, which is for sure negative to think about, because it means that everyone follows the other, not even understanding the reason behind their actions. However, as psychological studies show, children are new to the society and what they superficially understand is that being a part of something will keep them away from troubles. I think we can call it a stereotype, one of the latest one that is being broken down by new parents. Children need to be guided through their growth but as soon as they become teenagers and then adults they are highly suggested to get out of their comfort zone, I see in the word “comfort” the same meaning of “safety” and so if we consider it as a thing where we should detach from, then it is better to start from an early age. In conclusion I believe that “fit in” is directly connected to “conceal”, in a sense that your personality is hidden by the general group personality, that will lead then to slowly erasing your own identity; so I think that not allowing children to fit in is a significant task for parents and courage is needed to do so, but it is not cruel, it is about letting your child express willfully their identity.  ]]> 2020-05-15 12:12:07 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/574902952 Barella Valentina https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/574966520 Not only I agree with the statement,  but I also think that, in general, not allowing children to do something (which can be fitting in, but also the simple act of playing with a specific toy) is unbelievably cruel and inhuman. It means tearing apart their freedom and their imagination, since they are obliged to follow a path that maybe they don't want to walk on. Of course, you should prevent your child from doing dangerous things ("freedom" does not mean letting your child jump out of the window), so there must be some rules, I agree with that. But why should you shower your daughter with dolls, glitters and ribbons if she doesn't like them?
Our society is rotten and corrupted by prejudices and stereotypes. Many parents forget that "boy" and "girl" are two words which point out their child's sex, and not their personality.
Moreover, childhood is the most important part of our life, and it affects us psychologically in our adulthood more than we think. As a matter of fact, many mental disorders - anxiety, PTSD, depression; to mention the most known - are often linked to traumatic events that happened during our childhood, and restraining a child's imagination and personality can cause a deep trauma, leading even to self-loathing.]]> 2020-05-15 12:44:11 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/574966520 Giada Brombin https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/575651057 Not allowing children to fit in is cruel. I completely agree with this statement. I think that children must be free to experiment and choose the kind of life they want to have and live without any external conditioning. Nowadays, our society imposes sterotypes since our birth with the choice of clothes, books, games and schools. When a child expresses his diversity, not many people in the world try to understand the problem but they want to impose the change without leaving time and space to this person to understand himself and communicate his discomfort. I think that it is important and true what Angelina Jolie says to her daughters " find out who you are, what you think and what you want to fight for".]]> 2020-05-15 17:16:52 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/575651057 Celeste Barbierato andreaceleste_barby https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/576961370 I completely agree with this statement.    Not allowing children to fit in is the cruellest thing parents could do because children are the purest figures living in this world who does not care about all this prejudices and stereotypes that are spreading and increasingly affecting our modern society. 

No one should afford to repress children’s imagination, freedom but especially their dreams obliging them to be someone else.                                          Above all parents who, (during childhood are the most important figures for their children) should push them to be whoever they want to be and express themselves even while playing: parents and all the family in general should let the children play with every single toy without distinguishing them: there are not “toys for boys” and “toys for girls” because there are only toys!

Until now, my siblings and I always had the opportunity to express ourselves without be judged by our family even for our strange style, love for tattoos and piercings and my obsession for dyeing my hair and I am grateful for this because I know that not every child or teens had open-minded parents as ours.
 
(Sorry for the late reply but my comment wasn't uploaded)
]]> 2020-05-16 17:55:37 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/576961370 Alessia Cardettino https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/577661167 I completely agree with this consideration. I think that very often children haven't so much freedom to express their attitudes, their personality naturally. Therefore, starting from an early age, children must have the right to freely express their gender. Gender stereotypes attribute a certain characteristic to people, inducing them to behave in this way, so as not "disappoint" society's expectations. Attributing to males specific qualities such as strength and virality and to females sweetness and sensitivity or the attribution of blue color for males and pink for females, limits the way of perceiving themselves and others and marginalizes those who don't identify themselves in roles and traditional stereotypes. For exemple, when you go to a children clothing store the departments for boys and girls are separate and often the colors that dominate are respectively blue and pink. It would be nice to see a single department without making differences and to see all the colors, because a color doesn't make the difference. Finally I think parents should allow their children to choose who they are, how to dress and how to behave in order to create the best harmony with themselves and with oders. ]]> 2020-05-17 11:19:01 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/577661167 Malina Salcie https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/588577819 I've always been the type of girl who loved to play with "male toys": cars, airplanes, tanks and so on. My parents never tried to change this thing and they have never been worried about it. My dad loved this aspect because maybe for him I was the girl he always wanted but also a boy for some aspects! 
 I've started to play with dolls very late, when I met my cousin. She used to play with them so I sort of "adapted" to the situation. But I also liked it so I've never complained about it.
 So as can you see I've never had problems with the "not allowing children to fit in".
 Luckily my parents gave me the possibility to make my own decisions, even if I was a child.
 To deprive a child of this opportunity can bring to some bad consequences and unsolved problems with his inner self.
 As I said in the audio children are children, literally the "expression of freedom". They don't overthink, they just follow themselves and what they like. They love to experiment, a thing that adults have almost forgot to do. They are so busy with they jobs and their frenetic routine and they don't enjoy the variety of life anymore. The worst thing is that they try to do the same things with their children and that's when they don't allow them to fit in. That's when they start to decide for someone else.]]> 2020-05-22 09:02:39 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/588577819 Pellegrini Maddalena maddalenapellegrini2 https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/589601251 I agree with the statement. In my opinion it's important that parents teach their children how to behave properly, but this does not mean they are not allowed to express themselves freely. It doesn't matter what toys babies prefer playing with or what clothes they like putting on. I have three brothers and I'm the only girl. My parents used to buy me dolls and puppies, but I didn't mind playing with Michele and Mattia's cars. To tell the truth, I found it funny to "fight" against them in order to choose who deserved the biggest one. Although I had mine, my parents never forced me to give up using male toys. I was free to do whatever I wanted to. Probably this is the reason why I cannot understand how it is possible that even though we're living in the XXIst century, there still are some children who can't fit in. Yes, it's cruel and unfair. In the past people made many efforts in order to gain freedom. It's the best present they could give us and we must protect it.
Moreover I believe it's crucial we all feel good about ourselves: everything's easier. 
Oppression and obligation are not the way to go. 
Open-mindedness and empathy are better, without any doubt.
As I wrote before, parents have to give their children some rules. Our society is based on rules. But these restrictions should concern their behaviour and that's it. They shouldn't influence our passions or inclinations, because we are all different as far as tastes are concerned. But we are all equal in termes of humanity, so we all have the right to feel free of choosing what we like regardless social conventions. And considering that prejudices won't ever disappear, we don't have to pay attention on them.
Let's be ourselves, that's what really matters.
]]> 2020-05-22 19:08:06 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/589601251 GENEVIVE ONOH https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/589620322 I fully agree with this statement. Childhood is a delicate period of a child’s growth as it is also the decisive period. A child who has lived a happy childhood will most likely become a self-confident adult with an equally happy life. A child must be left free to express himself and to express his creativity. A child should not be framed or forced to be someone who he's not because this could harm him psychologically. Obviously a child must be guided and protected by his parents but this does not mean that they have to clip his wings. Very often adults can’t understand children because as they grow up they lose that childlike spirit that allowed them to imagine, dream and be whoever they wanted. I remember someone once said that a world full of like-minded people is an ugly world while a world where people can express their diversity is a world full of colors, a world full of possibilities and in short a world where each of us would like to live. I think that every child has within him a billion possibilities and a billion possible futures since he is free to transform and change his mind every day (like when we wanted to be astronauts one day, princesses the next day, and then a cook, a dancer, a mechanic and etc... all the possible jobs that we could contemplate because as children we are not conditioned by the rigid division into things for girls and things for boys). 

Miss I will send you an email with the voice recording because I can't do it here with my phone. ]]> 2020-05-22 19:22:16 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/589620322 GESSICA HAMZA https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/592726311 With Freud, the first studies on psychoanalysis, on the behavior of the child and on the phases that the baby must go through in the first few years of life to be able to integrate better in society, began. This is the key word: INTEGRATION.
So I fully agree with this sentence, children need to be able to relate to others, discover themselves, their interests and be supported in their choices.  Who says what's right and what's wrong in life?  Everyone is free to decide, without conditions .
There are many cases in which a child, born male, feels more inclined to play with dolls, to wear makeup, to imitate his mother.  Why deprive children of their personality?  It is certainly right to give them warnings, so that they can look to the future cautiously.  We live in a world where appearance seems to be far more important than essence.
It’s time  to leave stereotypes aside and live truly, madly and deeply. Diversity equals originality. 
If parents do not encourage the child to be himself, this could cause permanent problems, once he becomes an adult.
MISS I’M GOING TO SEND YOU AN EMAIL WITH THE AUDIO. I HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE INTERNET.]]> 2020-05-25 10:55:39 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/592726311 SATTIN ELENA https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/596205385 I agree with this statement. I think that society has evolved enough to still put "labels" on people. I believe that parents should teach their children real values: respect, kindness, humbleness, and not if a girl wants to play with male toys or viceversa it's something wrong. Childhood is a complicated period because it's the first approach to society and it should be a happy moment in every child's life. This should be parents' role: make childhood as magical as possible. So parents should just let their children be what they want to be, let them explore the world around them, but also their innerself to find out what they feel more comfortable with. If a girl wants to play with cars or she wants to be an astronaut or a football player, what is the problem with it? Only because she is interested in more manly things it doesn't mean that she has lost her female part. It's the same for men because few years ago men who wanted to become dancers or singers or cooks were considered "effeminate" and parents rejected them or obstacled them. So I think it's time to leave all these silly stereotypes and let everyone be what they want to be because it's the best way to let children grow and feel accepted and more confident.

Miss I will send you the audio via email because I can't uploaded it here.]]> 2020-05-27 06:12:40 UTC https://padlet.com/richestracey/vosi3xogv26z69he/wish/596205385