Women in our society appear to be more responsible than men in the areas of marriage and family. Women seem to naturally know how to take responsibility for being a wife, mother, and home maker whereas men seem to have to grow into the responsibilities of husband and father. The difference lies in the way little girls play as compared to little boys.

Little girl’s play time is centered on caring for a home and children. They have dolls, doll houses, toy cooking sets, tea sets, etc. to play with which teaches them to be responsible for a home and children at an early age. Most mothers insist that girls learn to cook, clean, etc. so that they will be ready to accept that responsibility. Boy’s play time involves competitive sports or games of conquest. They may take out trash or wash dishes, but not usually given responsibility for babysitting.

Boys who play with girls or are found playing with a doll are discouraged or chased away for fear of confusing their gender identity. This leaves boys at a disadvantage once they become men and enter matrimony. Women go into marriage knowing what to do whereas men barely have a clue. Women expect men to be responsible in home making and child rearing without realizing that most men are not response able.

Normally, a man would not be given responsibility who hasn’t demonstrated that he has response ability. We would never allow a woman to operate on us who hasn’t had training and demonstrated that she has surgical ability. A man, then, cannot be made responsible for a wife and children when he does not have the knowledge necessary to be response able because he lacks the ability to appropriately respond. Since most men were not taught to be responsible, they must learn how to be response able from their wives. Women must understand this, be patient, and help men develop response ability for home and family.

Removing the social and cultural stigmas by allowing boys to play with dolls, girls, and sports will help prepare them for all of the responsibilities they will have as men. It will let them practice being fathers and husbands, teach them to get along with women, and give them the knowledge they need to be response able at an early age.