Feminism often gets a bad rap as something for lesbian femi-nazis, so suggesting you consider feminist parenting could sound extreme.
That is, until you realize that this craaaaazy idea simply mean that women should have the same social, educational, and economic opportunities as men.
Whoa, right?
It might be easy to see why people would want to raise feminist daughters - girls have a pretty vested interest in their own futures - but what may not be as obvious is how imperative it is that we raise feminist sons, as well.
As the mother of two boys, 2016 has been a rough ride. When my youngest was a baby I was relieved that I didn't have to deal with all the "baggage" that comes with a daughter and all the media pressure about weight and body image and clothes and all that. Then I learned that rape culture was so prevalent that raising a son who wasn't a rapist was more challenging that I must think.
At first I didn't realize that some of the things I did were feminist, they just made sense. Instilling a sense of body autonomy and teaching consent were practical things to do, but the more I understood about them, the more importance they had. When you have young kids it sounds like a slippery slope to compare haircuts and hugging grandma to rape culture, but it's not.
I'm no expert in this area. Intersectionality still makes my head spin a bit. I'm white and straight raising white sons, so this technically impacts them least of all.
And that's why it's so important to me.
You practically need a new college minor to sift through the literature around this, so here's a Cliffs Notes version of a crash course - a compilation of list articles with enough info to get you started. We're all making it up as we go anyway, but at least you'll have a foundation.
“DEAR IJEAWELE, OR A FEMINIST MANIFESTO IN FIFTEEN SUGGESTIONS” by Chimamanda Adichie
10 Ways Feminist Parents Raise Strong-Willed Boys To Be Amazing Men by Sabrina Joy Stevents
10 Things Feminist Moms Do Differently Than Any Other Parents by Jamie Kenney
11 Way to Raise a Feminist Son Because Feminism Is Good for Everyone by Britni de la Cretaz
5 Ways I Practice Intersectional Feminist Parenting by Akilah S. Richards
Why I Am Raising My Child to Be a Feminist and Why I Think You Should Too by Dan Arel
21 Ways to Raise a Feminist Child by Lyndsay
Want to Be a Feminist Parent? 4 Goals to Consider by Paige Lucas-Stannard
9 Way to Teach Consent to Your Toddler Before They're Old Enough to Explain It by Sarah Bunton
This is not exhaustive, but if we make an effort to listen and learn, and model that for our kids, we're on the right track.