'Jamie is Jamie' - Read and Rise June 2021

I think "Jamie is Jamie" by Afsaneh Moradian is the perfect way to end Pride Month. To me, Pride Month is about celebrating the ability to be ourselves - to look the way that makes us happiest and to follow our hearts and love who we love. It is also about letting others know that we love and support them even if they choose paths different from our own. Some people may think bringing up Pride Month and the LBGTQ community is a sensitive topic which is inappropriate for young children. But I think it's a highly important topic to introduce to children in an age-appropriate way because not only does it help build a foundation of acceptance that can be broadened to include anyone different from ourselves, it also lets children know that there are no limits to what they can do or who they can be. And the book "Jamie is Jamie" does just that. It addresses societal gender roles in a way that even the youngest children can understand. As a bonus, it also highlights the importance of free play time in early childhood which speaks right to my heart as a former early childhood educator.

Featured story: "Jamie is Jamie" by Afsaneh Moradian

Activity: This week's activity is super simple - go play with whatever makes you happy! 

Here's my final thought. In our house, it's pretty easy to not limit what toys the kids play with - even if people give gender typical toys as gifts, having a boy and a girl means both children have instant access to all kind of toys. In spite of that, it's possible for any of us to subconsciously steer our children in one direction or other. But the way I see it is, if we are making a conscious effort to reinforce the idea that they can play with, do, and be anything and that there is no right or wrong simply because of your gender, all of that will have a much bigger impact and overshadow anything we do unintentionally <3