Why Do We Give Boys Freedom To Misbehave with Girls?
A reality that needs to change for the good.
It seems that society unintentionally or perhaps intentionally always allows boys to misbehave with girls. If you ask their parents, do they want their son to misbehave? their answer would be a “No.” However, if you look at the way parents raise a son compared to a daughter, one can easily notice the difference. They want the son to be tough and the daughter to be gentle. In the process of teaching toughness, they give the boy the freedom to misbehave, without realizing it. For instance, they tell them things like, “You must learn to fight, to hit hard, to be strong, and to be bold and act big.”
But being tough and strong should not mean being indecent. That’s what parents should be teaching their sons. Learning this can prevent boys from misbehaving with girls in their homes, in their communities, and overall society. It’s really strange that when a boy misbehaves, we don’t think much, because somehow we have accepted the fact that perhaps it’s okay, it’s okay for him to raise his voice, use vulgar language, or insult anyone. On the other hand, when a girl does it, we stop her and make her realize that she’s a “girl”, and she’s supposed to be nice and sweet and calm.
We should never normalize misbehaving for boys just like we never do it for girls. Instead, parents should teach their sons self-control especially since childhood so that they can grow up in a way that results in being a decent and well-mannered adult. Whenever we see a boy misbehaving with a girl, we must stop him and tell him what being good-mannered looks like and why it’s necessary.
