If She’s Not Having Fun, You Have To Stop’ — Boys Respecting ‘No’ Begins On The Playground

Boys (and, of course, girls) can learn one of their most valuable life lessons on the playground. Picturing the following helps put this lesson in perspective:

  • A little boy and girl are playing at the park, having lots of fun
  • Tackling, initiated by the boy, ensues, but it’s all good, clean fun, right?
  • At one point, said little girl hits the ground just a bit hard
  • She’s holding her own quite well with the roughhousing, and seems to have a good time

However, the boy’s father has a message for his young son. He tells him, quite bluntly, that if she isn’t having fun, he must stop.

It surprises some to hear that this boy is only two years old. However, this is an important lesson that both he and his playmate need to learn.

The key concept behind making sure they hear this repeated often is so that it becomes deeply rooted. The idea that if a girl isn’t having fun, the boy needs to stop is one that must be ingrained.

One example of making sure that a major concept becomes ingrained in a child is wearing a helmet while riding a bike. Because this idea has been ingrained from such an early age, it’s commonly accepted that kids will wear helmets while biking.

Most children today associate wearing a helmet while biking as the right thing to do, and don’t think about doing otherwise. This concept closely ties in with the lesson of teaching boys to stop when girls are no longer having fun with their play.

Making sure that such lessons have an impact on kids helps ensure that they will take heed. There is a lot of peer pressure today, but kids who have made the right choices will be better able to resist making the same bad choices as their peers.

Photo via A Mighty Girl