I taught my sons to treat all girls and women like ladies no matter what. To never “kiss and tell”. To respect women. To give their girlfriend or wife flowers, candy, jewelry and take her out to dinner for Valentine day, birthday, anniversary, etc. I told them to never hold the girl to a double standard, if they go to bed with her, they are guilty of the same thing. Share the bed, share the blame. I told my daughter the same thing, but also, alas, society has not caught up with all that, and she would still have to live under the double standard. Since society thinks boys should sow wild oats with the girls, but girls should NOT do that. I started telling them this when they were about five years old. That I DO NOT have a double standard. But you do worry more about your girls than your boys! I never had a brother and I didn’t realize that boys have feelings too. They are actually just as sensitive as girls are, they just hide it a lot.
Good for you!
I don’t know if it was the feminist movement or what, but most boys aren’t taught the most rudimentary lessons on how to treat women.
Girls are gobsmacked that my son opens all doors for them (including the car door). They think it’s odd that he carries their books and other things for them. I can’t even begin the count how many boys my son’s age ask a girl out and then expect her to pay for it. I thought those were pretty basic! :O
Very good points and approach. As a man, you can't expect girls and women to act with discretion if you don't expect the same from boys and men. Also, I've never seen a correlation between courage, persistence, personal inner strength, and what the popular media has promoted as ‘manliness’ over the years. Strength is sticking to your principles, and taking the consequences.
Funny,
I just tell my daughter, I didn’t invent the double standard, God did, take it up with him.
Girls are not Boys and Boys are not Girls, denying the differences between them in risks and life is just foolishness as far as I’m concerned.