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The Cranston, Rhode Island, school district banned father-daughter dances and other similar parent-child events after a parent complained to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The parent said her daughter felt left out of a father-daughter dance because she does not have a father or a father figure in her life.
The Cranston, Rhode Island, school district banned father-daughter dances and other similar parent-child events after a parent complained to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The parent said her daughter felt left out of a father-daughter dance because she does not have a father or a father figure in her life.
When I was single and DS was in daycare, they would make little things for Mother's and Father's Day. Now, the daycare teachers always had him make me something for Father's Day but even if they did not I would not be offended. Some kids don't have moms, dads or either. It isn't fair to the kids who DO to not be able to celebrate it due to those who do not. It's like saying married couples cannot celebrate their anniversaries because single people don't have a spouse.
It's like saying married couples cannot celebrate their anniversaries because single people don't have a spouse.
That's a really good point. I'm going to call the ACLU right now so they can get on that!
When is this all going to stop..... I'm so sick of a few people's "rights" restricting everybody else. I didn't have a father growing up, it was sad I didn't get those opportunities, but it's also part of life to be sad. My mom worked 2 jobs, so she couldn't come to any functions, should we also ban performances, graduations, parent teacher conferences, etc because some parents are unable to make it?
This is really silly. Our school has multiple such events, and it is always made very clear that kids are welcome to participate with any loved one of their choosing if need be.
The ACLU released a statement which noted that the matter has been “amicably resolved with school officials over four months ago.” The organization stated that “The school district recognized that in the 21st Century, public schools have no business fostering the notion that girls prefer to go to formal dances while boys prefer baseball games. This type of gender stereotyping only perpetuates outdated notions of ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ activities and is contrary to federal law."
If this is the issue, I agree with it. There's no reason to restrict kids to certain activities based on gender. Plenty of boys like dances and plenty of girls like baseball. That's just ridiculous. But the article begins by saying a complaint was made by a parent who's child felt left out of a father daughter dance because she has no father. That's a totally separate issue, and I DON'T agree with that. If the mother of this child had been told that SHE couldn't attend the dance with her daughter, or that it HAD to be a father, she would have a legitimate complaint. However, I'm quite sure that the school, like most, accepts that some kids don't have two parents and allow the child to bring whomever they please to these kind of events. The kid has at least one parent, the mother. Did she try to be there with her daughter? If not, why is it fair to discontinue the event for the parents of children who WANT to be there? Some people really expect the world to bend over backwards to accomodate them, and quite frankly it's infuriating when their entitled attitude is catered to.
If this is the issue, I agree with it. There's no reason to restrict kids to certain activities based on gender. Plenty of boys like dances and plenty of girls like baseball. That's just ridiculous. .
What's ridiculous is people who have this asinine notion that just because there is a 'father/daughter dance' or a 'mother/son baseball game' that it has anything whatsoever to do with 'restricting certain activites based on gender'! PLEASE...it's just a fun activity and makes the girls feel special for a night, and makes the boys feel special for a day. Lighten up for crying out loud.
I could see if they ONLY had activities that were for daughters, unless it was an all girls school, but my god in heaven, why are people so *^&^%$%^&*& OVERSENSITIVE TO EVERY LITTLE THING ANYMORE!!!!!!!?????
By the way, I agree with the rest of your post:
[/quote]But the article begins by saying a complaint was made by a parent who's child felt left out of a father daughter dance because she has no father. That's a totally separate issue, and I DON'T agree with that. If the mother of this child had been told that SHE couldn't attend the dance with her daughter, or that it HAD to be a father, she would have a legitimate complaint. However, I'm quite sure that the school, like most, accepts that some kids don't have two parents and allow the child to bring whomever they please to these kind of events. The kid has at least one parent, the mother. Did she try to be there with her daughter? If not, why is it fair to discontinue the event for the parents of children who WANT to be there? Some people really expect the world to bend over backwards to accomodate them, and quite frankly it's infuriating when their entitled attitude is catered to.[/quote]
If this is the issue, I agree with it. There's no reason to restrict kids to certain activities based on gender. Plenty of boys like dances and plenty of girls like baseball. That's just ridiculous. But the article begins by saying a complaint was made by a parent who's child felt left out of a father daughter dance because she has no father. That's a totally separate issue, and I DON'T agree with that. If the mother of this child had been told that SHE couldn't attend the dance with her daughter, or that it HAD to be a father, she would have a legitimate complaint. However, I'm quite sure that the school, like most, accepts that some kids don't have two parents and allow the child to bring whomever they please to these kind of events. The kid has at least one parent, the mother. Did she try to be there with her daughter? If not, why is it fair to discontinue the event for the parents of children who WANT to be there? Some people really expect the world to bend over backwards to accomodate them, and quite frankly it's infuriating when their entitled attitude is catered to.
What's ridiculous is people who have this asinine notion that just because there is a 'father/daughter dance' or a 'mother/son baseball game' that it has anything whatsoever to do with 'restricting certain activites based on gender'! PLEASE...it's just a fun activity and makes the girls feel special for a night, and makes the boys feel special for a day. Lighten up for crying out loud.
I could see if they ONLY had activities that were for daughters, unless it was an all girls school, but my god in heaven, why are people so *^&^%$%^&*& OVERSENSITIVE TO EVERY LITTLE THING ANYMORE!!!!!!!?????
I think you missed the point. Why only a father/daughter dance for girls and a mother/son game for boys? Why not a dance for both father/daughter, and mother/son, and a game for both too? That way, the kids who like dance and hate baseball, or vice versa, can enjoy SOMETHING? I think that's something that, while it shouldn't require legal action, is a reasonable request and something the school can and should easily accomodate. It's banning all mother/son, father/daughter events that's wrong to me. Giving boys and girls more options makes sense. Taking away ALL options does not.
Last edited by JustJulia; 09-20-2012 at 09:39 AM..
This issue is being discussed over on politics, too, with predictable results (for that forum). I see no problem with a father/daughter dance, as long as it is not a requirement that a girl (the daughter) attend with her biological father ONLY. I thought things had lightened up in this regard in the past decades since I was a kid (where that might have been the case). I can remember my mother and my aunt going together to a mother-daughter lunch at their church, b/c they said, they were both mothers and daughters. I was 1500 miles away and my aunt had only sons who did not live in their area either. No one had any objection.
As far as some girls feeling left out, there are fathers who don't/won't dance, and fathers who object to dancing as "immoral" (a big issue in my hometown when I was a kid). That doesn't mean everyone should be deprived of a dance.
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