Mom Asks Parents to Involve Sons in Thanksgiving Preparations | They Must “Contribute to Everything That’s Going On”

When a Louisiana mom of three put out a tweet giving advice to other parents on how to treat their kids during Thanksgiving, she was not expecting it to blow up the way it did. 36-year-old Emily Taylor was inspired to post the now-viral tweet after a conversation with another parent. "A comment was made (arguing) that boys can't stay in the kitchen all day like girls can when helping with Thanksgiving stuff," Taylor told TODAY.com. "This person has two adult sons. I was a little flabbergasted. Like: 'Yes they can, if you teach them to.'"

The single mother who has two sons, ages 15 and 13, and a daughter, 10 explained why it’s “important” to her that her own sons learn different domestic skills “early on”. “I’ve seen a lot of grown men who have that mindset - that they don’t need to help with anything or the only thing they need to help with is the grilling or the smoking,” she said. “As a single mom, it’s important for me to teach all of my kids to be self-sufficient, to participate in family life and to contribute to everything that’s going on in our home.”

She then took to Twitter and urged other parents to ensure their sons are just as involved in the celebration as their daughters. "As we approach Thanksgiving, I beg of you please involve your boys in the preparations as much as you involve your girls," she tweeted. "Let them measure and mix and bake and create alongside their sisters. Have them set the table and pour drinks. Make them help clean up too." She also wanted to make sure not to "let another generation of boys grow up to be men who think the kitchen is the domain of women until it's time to cut the turkey," Taylor explained.

Surprisingly this tweet got mixed responses with a lot of people seemingly angry at the suggestion. "I was pretty shocked that that was still such a prevalent response," Taylor said of the negative responses. "That was around 40 percent of the comments, though I don't think that's the attitude of 40 percent of men in the world. But yeah, it was surprising to see that many comments like that. I got one particular message that was pretty hateful." At least the tweet has sparked a conversation that needs to be heard. Taylor hopes parents are "more thoughtful and intentional" about what they're teaching their kids. "We can help dispel myths that are prescribed to certain genders," she shared. "And who knows? Maybe more boys will learn to love cooking and more girls will love watching football when we're doing all of those things together."

References:

https://www.today.com/parents/parents/thanksgiving-boys-girls-cooking-rcna58362

Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Drazen Zigic