At a random moment in class a memory from Christmas time popped into my head. Nothing brought that memory up, it just suddenly popped up. My brother Matthew, his wife Marisol, and their son Noah came home for Christmas. They live in Texas so we do not get to see them as much as we wished. My brother is also an MP so he is constantly working on base. We were all very excited for them to come home for Christmas last year. My nephew Noah is a rough little guy. He loves trucks, playing in the mud, wrestling, sports, and other things that most little boys like.

I cannot remember what my family and I were talking about at the dining room table but it had something to do with colors and something Noah wanted or was making. We were all saying colors. My mother was saying red, my brother was saying green, Marisol was saying blue, my stepdad was saying green. And I was sitting there and said, “Pink.” That really bugged my mother. My mother sticks to the average and “normal” gender roles. That girls wear pink, purple, yellow. Boys wear red, blue, green, and orange. That girls should play with dolls, wear makeup, dress up in dresses, take care of baby dolls. That boys should play with cars/trucks, play football, play outside in the mud, roughhouse with each other. I say a child can do and like whatever he/she wants. If a little boy loves the color pink, I find no problem with that. If a little girls likes to wear little boys clothing, then I find nothing wrong with that.

My mother and I have very similar thoughts and opinions on many things, but gender roles is not one of them. She believes in gender roles. She believes that boys should do/like what boys should do/like and girls should do/like what girls should do/like. I believe that girls and boys can like whatever they want to like and do whatever they want to do and there should not be a problem with that. Yes, it is true that pink is mostly liked and worn by female. But that mean it is a “girl color”? I do not think we should label things like that. Pink is a color just like yellow, blue, green, and purple are. None of them are specifically colors just for girls and colors just for boys. They are colors for everyone in the world.

I feel the same with activities, hobbies, and other things. Dancing, for example, is mostly done by girls. Not the modern dancing or anything like that, but dance as in ballet and dance done in professional studios (again, not the modern dancing like hip hop or anything like that). That is mostly seen as a girl’s activity/hobby, yet there are so many male ballerinos out there in ballet. If a male likes dance and likes ballet, then what is the problem with that? I feel that people should do what makes them happy. I do not like to generalize certain things with a specific gender. Girls can play video games just like guys can. Guys can sing melodically just like girls can. Girls can play sports just like guys can. Guys can like pink and floral patterns just like girls can.

When I get to that point in my life after college and after I am married and I have children I do not want them to generalize things with a specific gender. They can do whatever their little heart wants to do. And their little heart can like what it wants to like. I feel that that is a good way to raise children. I feel so strongly for this matter because my parents are very into gender roles. I am not like most of the other teenage girls that I know. Guys t-shirts are what I normally wear because I feel they have a better fit than girls t-shirts. They are baggier and not as tight as a girls shirt. I like to wear guys clothing and I will continue to wear guys clothing. I hate wearing things like dresses, skirts, and I particularly despise heels. Hoodies and sweatshirts, jeans, Vans, band tee’s are what my daily attire usually consists of. My mother wishes I would wear dresses, skirts, and dressier shirts more. But I am more than happy with my skinny jeans, baggy hoodies, and tattered Vans that I have had since the fifth grade.

Something that I constantly tell my mother and father is, “Can’t I ever be happy?” Why I say that is because when I am not allowed to be myself it upsets me. I get that what I like to wear is not what my mother likes. My choice in clothing makes me happy though, I am content with the stuff that I like the wear. Gender roles is something I feel strongly for. But not in a way where I agree with, I do not agree with gender roles at all. Children, teens, adults should be themselves despite what other think.