Our child assigned the preparation of family meals to me and not to his father.
In one fell swoop, our conscious child then began to list all the supervisors at the nursery who prepare meals: well, he's right. They are all female. That is a fact. In the next phase he focused on some children's books we are reading... And what can I say? Nothing. Again, he was right. In most of his storybooks, a female parent supervises the family's nutrition.
How children's books present the role of parents in child-rearing and education
I had to start somewhere, so I started with our children's books at home, I rummaged through children's books in shops, I browsed through the children's book collections in libraries. Then I started researching children's books online. The representation of parental attributes, tasks and their appearance is not - for the most part - in line with the ideas I want to pass on to my child.
In many cases, a female parent takes care of the children, the house, and enforces the family rules. In many children's books, the female parent is the entertainer, expressing all kinds of emotions. Is this a bad thing? No, it isn't. What I criticise is the lack of diversity of roles in the presentation of female parents in picture books and the imbalance when it comes to the presentation of a male parent. Female parents, for example, have a role on most pages of children's story books compared to male parents. Yes, I feel that fathers are under-represented. And beyond that, I feel that fathers who are nurturing and caring for children are significantly under-represented. No matter what they are called in the family, partners, dads or dads, they deserve better.
Children's books: what we are reading to babies, toddlers and preschoolers is equivalent to planting seeds in the long term
Our children are very much influenced at a young age by the storybooks that we read to them or that they are reading. Therefore, the way parents are presented in children's storybooks plays an important role in gender education. In my case, the role of parent described in children's books with the mother preparing meals had a direct impact on my little one's expectations at home. I realise that we are dealing with a topic of different generations, different ages and an educational topic of a different era. Illustrated children's books from other eras could represent stereotypes, because at the time it was not a matter of concern. It wasn't a point of discussion and what I perceive as a heavy stereotype was a natural part of a good old story.
For my part, I will take a look at the stories in children's books and the message they send in a slightly more intentional way. I'm still reading some classic children's books with my child, but I'll give special value to deeper discussions. In the future, I'll start a conversation about another mother cooking in a children's picture book and we'll see where it takes us.
And besides that, I'll make sure that the personalised children's books from CUKIBO always take into account what I've written here.
Aren't there many ways to be a successful parent nowadays anyway? A man as a father and a woman as a mother is just one way - both of them working outside the home in many cases. In this regard, let me salute all the single fathers and single mothers out there, who are rarely even considered in children's books. Or to you, wonderful same-sex couples, who raise your children with love and affection.