‘So, Mom, why is there a Girls’ Day but not a Boys’ Day?’ ‘Well, girls around the world often seem to be one step behind, and we need to change that.’ I tried to explain because, as a feminist, I felt I had to. But my boys don’t really see it that way in their world. They see that girls are entitled to wear pink, and they are not. ‘Mom, can I wear pink?’ ‘Sure, son, you can wear any color you like. Colors were never made for a certain gender. The rainbow has all the colors you want and need, and it’s for you to choose your favorite. Let nobody limit you; the rainbow is a sign of hope that everyone can see.’ Okay, maybe I should have stopped at ‘everyone is free to choose their favorite color.’
It’s true that everything girls have often seems more attractive: the girls’ clothing section is more appealing than the boys’. Unisex clothes can be kind of boring. There are far more coloring books for girls than for boys. My boys don’t want girls’ clothes; they just want vibrant clothes designed for boys. Well, what can I say? I’ve always considered myself a feminist – men and women are equal but not the same, I guess. Men are from Mars, and women are from Venus. I never thought that I would have two boys and that I would have to think about their rights. Boys’ rights. Men’s rights. I’ve noticed that International Men’s Day has gained recognition, but the same isn’t true for boys. So, I told my boys that they are free to have their own Boys’ Day. Pick a day on the calendar, babies. And they did.
Their dad, my husband, insisted that it would be a lovely moment for him with his boys. Well, I suddenly had some extra free time and decided to find out more. It turns out that May 16th is International Day of Boys. Of course, I’d Googled it before, but that day in August, I had more time to look into it. Surprisingly, there’s hardly any information about this day.
On this website, I hope to provide more information about this day. We want to maintain a balance between Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day because we want to celebrate this part of their identity.
Thanks so much in advance,
A mom in Europe with two young boys