Why do parents sign their sons and daughters up for different activities?

[Anonymous]

I have 2 boys 2 years apart and a daughter. Even when my boys played the same sport, it isn’t like practice and game times were at the same time. It isn’t like they played on the same soccer team.

I did try for years to sign them up for same camps or at least camp at the same facility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my sons go to a hip hop dance class because I was made to go to ballet as a child. They were great at it but the only boys in the entire recital. So maybe 2 out of 150.

It was really fun to watch the toddler girls staring at my boys through the classroom window. And to watch their moms explaining it.

So...my boys put up with it on a one-time basis but were not willing to continue.

Somewhere I have a hilarious dance pro picture of them together in the faux streetwear chosen for the recital.

At least I struck a tiny blow for gender equity!

Lol, no you didn’t. you just embarrassed your sons for your own amusement.

They were really good at it. I wish they had continued. Dancing is a skill that more American young men need. The humor was a side benefit (and not within the classroom, where they were equally well treated by teacher and classmates). I have no regrets. My actual goal was to prep them to audition for high school theater...but they didn't want to be onstage. Pity. At least they enjoy stage crew. Theatergoing is one of my favorite hobbies. Never had much of a chance to be onstage myself as there were too many talented girls in my school district. Common theme--they all started dancing and singing very young. So I thought it was worth a class to see if it would take. Their high school is continually short of boys to play the bigger parts. Also a pity. I went to a high school theater conference this summer and the directors said one of the biggest issues is finding plays that suit the female skew of the drama club participants.

[Anonymous]

My oldest (boy) and youngest (girl) play the same sport, but it's not like they play on the same team, have same practice time etc. They are 4.5 years apart, but being the same gender wouldn't make a difference either. Middle daughter does ballet and neither of the other two had any interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make our kids do one sport in the arts (ballet) and one cardio sport (squash). We have 3 boys and 1 girl. Two of my boys are dancing the Nutcracker right now. We don’t allow full contact sports or anything with too much anger (tennis).

Wut?

Haha obvious troll

[Anonymous]

My 4 year old son does golf and jiujitsu. My 2 year old daughter has already expressed interest in jiujitsu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make our kids do one sport in the arts (ballet) and one cardio sport (squash). We have 3 boys and 1 girl. Two of my boys are dancing the Nutcracker right now. We don’t allow full contact sports or anything with too much anger (tennis).

Wut?

Haha obvious troll

Boys dancing ballet doesn’t mean a troll. My boys dance ballet. I did as a child and wanted them to experience it. I don’t watch soccer or football, so why would I enroll them in that?

[Anonymous]

No, most boys don’t want to do cheer and dance. Are you serious? I know a few boys who do gymnastics. They are both good athletes and it’s helpful for other sports.

[Anonymous]

All my kids do swimming, and track and field. I put them all in soccer and they all hated it (sadly, it was my sport). My youngest DD begged to do gymnastics, so she does that. They all tried karate, cooking, and computer programming with some degree of success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We put them in similar activities but with time they developed different interests. I think friends and exposure influenced few choices but others were personal choices.

This.

[Anonymous]

We try very hard to make sure our kids are in most of the same activities. We have 3 kids. Older 2 (girls) are in 2 activities together (at the same time/same place) and then each have another. They are only 2 years apart and have similar skills in those two sports.

Our third is you get and a boy. He will start those two sports as well, but he won’t be in his sisters same level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We make our kids do one sport in the arts (ballet) and one cardio sport (squash). We have 3 boys and 1 girl. Two of my boys are dancing the Nutcracker right now. We don’t allow full contact sports or anything with too much anger (tennis).

Tennis has much anger? My kids play tennis and I never saw anger…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make our kids do one sport in the arts (ballet) and one cardio sport (squash). We have 3 boys and 1 girl. Two of my boys are dancing the Nutcracker right now. We don’t allow full contact sports or anything with too much anger (tennis).

Tennis has much anger? My kids play tennis and I never saw anger…

Same. Some parents have meltdowns, but they only embarrass themselves and don’t seem to involve others

[Anonymous]

I have two girls and have encouraged different activities to minimize sibling rivalry and comparisons. They're both welcome to do or try what they like, but if there are two equal options, then I'll encourage the activity that can't create comparisons. For instance, my older one plays piano, so my younger one started on violin. She was open to any instrument and did't have a preference, so now she has her own thing that can't be compared to her sister. It works for us.

[Anonymous]

My B/G kids both do tumbling, karate and flag football. But B has no interest in cello and G has no interest in baseball/basketball.

[Anonymous]

Social pressure and conservative gender norms. They're still so pervasive, even in liberal areas. I try to encourage my kids to do what they like and tell them there aren't activities "for boys" or "for girls," but the social pressure is still there for them. The other kids will say things like "Ballet is for girls." Or they'll get to the class and be the only boy there.