A review by hlparis
Being You: A First Conversation about Gender by Jessica Ralli, Megan Madison
4.0
A great primer for little ones that are forming their identity and trying to make sense of the world. By 2, children usually understand that they are separate from their mother. I think that, as the authors say in the beginning of the book, this is a book that can start the conversation, but it is something to go back to as the child matures and hits further developmental milestones. I particularly liked the gender conformity conversation about colors to wear (pink vs. blue) and toys to play (dolls vs. trucks) with as it is perpetuated in western culture.
When I was pregnant with my first child, we painted our expected child's room in a safari animal theme. It was gender neutral. I hated being asked if I was going to have a boy or girl. I felt so grateful that we were able to conceive and that my pregnancy was a healthy one. I often answered, "I'm hoping it isn't a monkey." I was aiming for a healthy human baby and that was all I cared about. Gender is emphasized in an unhealthy way so often and it has always rubbed me wrong, especially after I met people who were told the wrong gender before birth and families who lost their babies in late pregnancy or stillbirth.
It's refreshing to see this taking form in books that can be introduced at a young age. It can help children have a more inclusive and universal take on gender instead of the binary conformity I grew up with. Hopefully gender won't be the first thing we think of in the future when we think about a person, just like skin color, ability or any other physical feature. I'm working on breaking down those things I learned so many years ago.
When I was pregnant with my first child, we painted our expected child's room in a safari animal theme. It was gender neutral. I hated being asked if I was going to have a boy or girl. I felt so grateful that we were able to conceive and that my pregnancy was a healthy one. I often answered, "I'm hoping it isn't a monkey." I was aiming for a healthy human baby and that was all I cared about. Gender is emphasized in an unhealthy way so often and it has always rubbed me wrong, especially after I met people who were told the wrong gender before birth and families who lost their babies in late pregnancy or stillbirth.
It's refreshing to see this taking form in books that can be introduced at a young age. It can help children have a more inclusive and universal take on gender instead of the binary conformity I grew up with. Hopefully gender won't be the first thing we think of in the future when we think about a person, just like skin color, ability or any other physical feature. I'm working on breaking down those things I learned so many years ago.