‘They are girls! I cannot play with them’

After a certain age, children can choose their peers. Then we cannot make a choice for them, but till that happens I wouldn’t force them to play with only boys or girls. In fact, I encourage my children to go out of their comfort zone, especially my son. When going out to play, he often says: “They are girls! I cannot play with them.” I tell him that is not okay and that he needs to know how to play with girls as well. Similarly, I ask my daughter to also go outdoors and play with a mixed group. They have to understand from an early age how the other gender behaves.

Boys enjoy sports such as football or they just run around and play catch. Girls, on the other hand, are more interested in sitting indoors and playing dress-up or with cooking sets. But I have noticed that when the friends of my son and daughter aren’t around, they play something together like solving puzzles. The issue can only be fixed when, from a young age, children are able to play with each other.

From Ms Sisina Anish

Senior design engineer living in Dubai