A Humans of Bombay post on a father teaching his sons about feminism has gone viral
Even as women fight for their rightful place in the society and work hard to shatter deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, this Mumbai dad's contribution is something all parents can learn from. Featured in a Humans of Bombay post, a father along with his wife are doing their bit to break regressive gender norms and teaching their two sons all about equality and feminism.
"When we had our son, a lot of people congratulated my wife saying, 'you can relax now... you have a son in the house' and my wife and I laughed at their mentality but realised that this is how people still think. I was overjoyed that I had a son, but I knew I wanted to raise him right. It's okay if he cries and if he shows his emotions - my wife and I are constantly telling him that crying doesn't make him any less of a man. We teach him to respect girls as equals and even in little things like a game of football or cricket to not make fun of them - that's where it all begins", said the post.
The phrase 'like a girl' has always been perceived as something weak. But the father is showing the way by teaching his young sons otherwise. "Just the other day at the park, they were playing football and right before this small girl was about to kick the ball, a boy shouted - 'don't kick like a girl...we'll lose' and everyone began to laugh. That small girl looked so shaken, but before anyone could say anything my son went upto her and said, 'kick like a girl... that's how we'll show them how to win!' and I promise you, that girl was beaming - she played like a real rockstar", he narrated.
You can read the post here
The post has been shared over 10,000 times and instantly garnered the praise of people for its positive message. "Kudos to u n ur wife.. Parents like the both of u are what the world needs! I'm sure your boys are going to grow up to be wonderful human beings who understand the importance of compassion and equality! Bless u all", said Namrata Singh Chhibber.
"Spoken like a true feminist. The world needs more people like you that raise their children to be kind and not label people by putting them in categories. We should all contribute, even in a small way, to enable as many people as possible, no matter their gender, race or background to fulfil their full potential. This is the only way to go forward as a human race", wrote Jasminka D'Souza.
He also said he is teaching his sons that women don't need empowerment, they already are. "Truth is, women are ready to rule the world as is... all they need is the world to be fair to them -to give them the respect they deserve...whether it's at home, at work or out on the streets.", he said.
'The boys we raise today are the men of tomorrow' - well said. More power to him!