RE:  Sex roles for children (the amazing "power claws" story)
-------------------------------------------------------------
 RE> boy in blue the girl in pink.  I said that they should get gender
 RE> neutral colors such as grey, green, or red.  They gave me the "I
 RE> always knew you were weird" look.  I also suggested that they trade
 RE> some of the sex typed clothes with each other, the boy could wear
 RE> pink and the girl could wear blue, once again I got the LOOK.  These
 RE> subtle sexist attitudes are going to be the hardest to eliminate.

     Along this line ... My 3-yr-old had a friend over.  They wanted to
paint their fingernails.  No problem.  Some days later he was with me
at an auction.  The people there, who have known me for years, and have
seen Zak often, were mildly shocked at his fingers.  Their concern was
genuine, advising me that it was o.k. for me to be weird, but I should
not "put it on" my son.  So I explained to them that we have very high
ceilings with skylights; that there was a lightening storm: and that
Zak got "power claws" to fight back the lightening.  They all approved
wholeheartdly after that.

     As best as I can read it, painted fingers are a female, "seductive"
tool.  As such it is a passive tool, one to allure, rather than a tool
of overt power.  As soon as the symbol of "painted fingers" was seen as
a manifestation of overt power, it was ok.

Peter Zelin
07/14/90