Gender is Essential!

In my Family Relations class we made lists comparing characteristics of the two sexes.  These lists are, of course, incomplete and there are exceptions to every characteristic listed, but I think that it is a good snap shot in words of what most people think of men and women.

Female Cooperative Gentle/comfort Domestic Submissive Detail oriented Relationship oriented More verbal (talk a lot) Aware Able to multitask

Male Competitive Strong Protective- Aggression Focused Career driven Leadership Oblivious Active and sporty

Female vs. Male (stereotypes and thoughts)

Girly vs. Manly

Cares vs. Doesn’t care

Cooperative vs. Competitive

Gentle vs. Aggressive

Submissive vs. “The boss”

Detail oriented and aware vs. Oblivious

More verbal vs. Doesn’t communicate

Will ask for directions vs. Will ask for directions over their dead body

...Etc etc etc...

Our gender experiences affect our family experiences and visa versa.  If even one individual in the family were of a different gender then the family dynamics would change drastically. 

This quote was on the board in our classroom:

“We desperately need to raise our sons much more like our daughters” ~G.S.

I highly disagree with this statement.  I believe that boys should be raised as boys and girls should be raised as girls.  It’s that simple. 

According to The Family: A Proclamation to the World, “ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”  Our genders were set before this life.  It was not by chance that we were born with the bodies that we were.  We do not come to this Earth to decide what gender we would like to be.  Our genders are essential to who we are and our entire being!

Be a MAN, man! ...unless you are a woman... then be a woman.

Shanna