A couple years ago in high school my psych teacher talked about an experiment on a baby where nobody, including its parents, knew its sex. When I got home that day I had to look it up because I was so intrigued so I figured at least some of you would be at least a little interested as well. Plus it relates nicely. This baby was called X and the parents who volunteered to raise this child, never knowing the sex, were given an instruction manual to follow very carefully. Baby X’s parents, the Joneses, were strictly instructed which words they were able to praise and encourage their child with, the toys it was given and the games it played. I’ll post the link for the whole story at the end of this blog so you can see what happened for yourself when X was sent to public school. I find this story so interesting because people really don’t pay attention to how much they control the things their kids like and find socially acceptable. Like the article says when friends visited, without knowing the sex of the baby, ‘they couldn’t say, “Look at her cute little dimples!” And they couldn’t say, “Look at his husky little biceps!” The Joneses were told to dress it in neutral clothing and get it into all kinds of sports and activities. This story is fascinating to me because of the outcome of baby X’s school experience.
I read the story and it was very interesting. It would be great if parents really did raise their child like Baby X. If they don't discriminate their child's toys, clothes, and games it would be a a big help in decreasing gender stereotypes; and perhaps the child WOULD be happier if given free rein to choose.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ace26. I also believe that embracing your gender identity is also a good thing, and that Baby X might have missed out on some childhood experiences that are different for boys or girls. It is an interesting story and I will definitely keep it in mind when I get older and have a child.
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