No, it’s not cute when little boys force kisses on little girls. A primer on teaching boys to respect girls.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s comments about how he treats women — and subsequent allegations by women that he groped them or made unwanted sexual advances — bring into focus again the issue of gender relations and, more to the point, how males treat females.
In this post, a parenting expert explains how parents and educators can teach boys of all ages to respect females of all ages and to recognize the influences that can lead to aggression. It is written by Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts and an international speaker and author. He and his wife, Kylie, are the parents of six daughters (and no, he says on his website, they aren’t disappointed nor are they going to try for a boy).
Coulson earned a psychology degree from the University of Queensland and a PhD in psychology from the University of Wollongong. He has written multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly book chapters, as well as several books and e-books about parenting, including the recently released “21 Days to a Happier Family.”
Coulson is an honorary fellow at the Center for Positive Psychology in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. He is a consultant to the Australian government’s Office of the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner and has or is advising organizations such as Beyond Blue, the Raising Children Network, Life Education, Intel Security, and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. He writes a weekly parenting advice column for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, appears regularly on television and radio, and is the parenting expert atkidspot.com.au, Australia’s No. 1 parenting website.
This post appeared on Coulson’s website, and he gave me permission to republish it.
By Justin Coulson
My 8-year-old daughter recently complained to me about a boy in her grade:
“Dad, he keeps on trying to kiss me. Today at recess he kissed me twice on the face. I keep telling him to ‘Stop it!’ and he doesn’t.”
Historically this kind of incident may have been called cute. Parents or staff members may have knowingly smiled and clucked about what a great pair these two would make.
Today . . . I’m unhappy about this. The boy may only be eight, but he is old enough to No, it’s not cute when little boys force kisses on little girls. A primer on teaching boys to respect girls. - The Washington Post:
