Societies tend to consider many things to be either boys’ or girls’. Somehow, it is always expected from the females to know how to cook, do the laundry, and clean the house, while most males are expected to be skillful with tools and do sports.
When boys or men do what is believed to be a female responsibility, people find that strange and something to be laughed about.
One mother from Michigan, Nicole Boulogne, came under fire when she posted photos of her 7-year-old son cooking and cleaning the house. Many questioned her parenting because they believed boys shouldn’t do chores and help around the house because according to them, that is a woman’s job.
Being a single mom of two, Nicole is doing her best to teach her kids to be independent. She does everything around the house, but at the same time, she believes that her kids need to learn to do things themselves because it will help them later in life.
Her older child knows how to cook simple things, how to mow the lawn, and do the dishes. Her other child is still a toddler, but she’s planning on teaching him how to do the same once he reaches certain age.
When asked why she teaches her child do things like these, she has the perfect response.
“I teach my son to cook & do household chores. Why? Because household work isn’t just for women. Because one day he might be a single man, living on his own, who will actually know how to do laundry & not eat take out every night. Because one day he might want to impress a significant other with a meal cooked by his own hands. Because one day when he has kids & a spouse, he’s going to need to do his fair share around the home. Because I leave in a generation of people who complain that school didn’t teach us how to cook, do laundry, tie a tie, or pay taxes. Because teaching my son how to do these things and be a productive member of society both outside the home and inside, starts with ME. Because it’s ok to let your child be a child but still teach them lifelong lessons along the way. My son will never be too “manly” to cook or do chores. He will be the kind of man who can come inside from changing a tire to check on his pot roast. Who can properly sort his laundry and mow the lawn too. Remember parents, a man who believes he shouldn’t have to cook or do chores was once a boy who was never taught any better,” she wrote.
Science is definitely on this mom’s side. Studies find that children who are allowed to help around the house learn how to take responsibility and dare to take initiative and achieve high goals later in life.
Way to go, Nicole. We believe you do an awesome job as a mom.
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