I was at kids footy on the weekend and had an interesting chat to a couple of young boys who were getting ready for their game.
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They were talking about some girls who were playing tackle football and seemed quite perplexed by it all.
The boys appeared to be of the opinion that the tackle football was for them and league tag was for the girls.
I guess that was a fair assessment of the situation in their minds, given that the vast majority of players were boys.
I couldn’t help myself and asked them why they thought that the girls couldn’t play.
One little fellow piped up and said, “Because they can’t run fast and they can’t tackle”.
I tried to reason with the boys, but got the impression that I wasn’t winning this one.
I had a little chuckle and then got to thinking about the opinions and ideas that we develop at an early age and how impressionable young people can be.
The fact is, that we are all capable of doing whatever we set our minds to and shouldn’t be held back by stereotypes or restricted to what people regard as ‘normal’.
I think that it is always good to share stories with your children or highlight instances that allow them to understand the importance of acceptance and the differences that we have.
It makes a difference not only to how we see ourselves, but how we see others.
It’s also a valuable thing to remember as adults.
I watched the game and got a good laugh when I saw the little girl busting through the line and scoring a try. Lesson learnt boys!
Until next time.…