boredom management

• Bodies are hairy. No matter the gender, your face will have hair and that is more than okay.
• Your butthole is going to have some hair too. And maybe your nipples. And your tummy. And where ever else.
• Stretch marks. Those are a thing. Everyone gets ‘em. If you don’t, you probably don’t have skin.
• Vaginas smell. Every vagina has a scent. Don’t worry about it! (Unless something seems wrong, then go get it checked out! No need to feel embarrassed or ashamed.)
• Vaginas come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors. All are beautiful.
• Penises come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors. All are beautiful.
• You don’t need to shave anything if you don’t want to. It’s tooootally not mandatory. 
• Sometimes people get butt acne. 
• You can have a vagina and want short hair and think dresses are just the worst.
• You can have a penis and want long hair and think dresses are just the best. 
• You can wear whatever you want and style your hair however you want.
• You can even think whatever the hell you want.
• People might tell you that you are a girl because you have a vagina. People might tell you that you are a boy because you have a penis. People will tell you what your gender is. But in reality, you don’t have to be that gender. You don’t have to be either of those genders. 
• You are what you are and it’s just the worst thing if you try and hide that.

I wish parents could just talk to their children about these things. This weekend I was at this gathering and I was talking to my neighboor. Suddenly, her kid walks by and he stops, looks at me and asks: “Are you a boy?”

I felt very flabbergasted because I have never gotten that direct question before. I am a woman and I am gay. Although I am a woman, I’m more in touch with my masculine side than my feminine. I like to dress in what society calls “boy clothes” and I like my hair short and styled in a fauxhawk. That does not mean I’m a boy, nor do I WANT to be!

I answered that I’m not a boy. He said: “But you have boy hair!”

I answered that I like having it that way. His mother just laughed nervously and then he walked away. She didn’t say anything and just carried on with our conversation.

Why didn’t the kid already know this?? That there is no standard for what a boy looks like and what a girl looks like. And there is definitely no standard for how they SHOULD look like. Why hasn’t she taught her child this?? That he is to young to understand is bullshit! If you can teach your child society’s narrow-minded standards, you can certainly teach him the in-betweens! And while you’re at it, explain to him that he can be whoever he wants. That if he might be feeling different, it’s okay! If this child someday have more feminine feelings or maybe finds out he is gay/trans/bi, he’s gonna be fucking terrified. He will think something is wrong with him.

I’m not saying that it’s a given that it will happen, but it is very possible that he will feel more negative about himself then he should if such a situation will present itself.

I’m also not saying that his mother and father are bad parents, but this is important to teach children. They learn mostly from what their parents teach them and narrow-mindedness should definitely not be part of it.

(via tinylittlebombshell)