Dad Protects Son from Bullies by Wearing a Skirt. Guess What? It Works.

[FourScore]

Dad Protects Son from Bullies by Wearing a Skirt. Guess What? It Works.
By Piper Weiss, Shine Staff | Parenting – 15 hours ago




The German dad has become a role model not only for his son, but for parents around the world, after a photograph of the pair holding hands in red skirts spread across the internet. "Yes, I'm one of those dads, that tries to raise their children equal," he explained in an essay published alongside the photo in Emma, a German feminist magazine.

Pickert never minded that his son liked dressing in little girl's clothes, but when his family moved from West Berlin to a small southern town in Germany, he learned that other people did. In fact, it became a "town wide issue," according to Pickert...

SNIP

...That's where the red skirt came in, a pants-free option Pickert himself would sometimes take back in Berlin, without getting even a second glance. He'd stopped wearing skirts when they moved to their small village, knowing a man in women's clothes could cause rubbernecking accidents at the very least. But when his son asked his father to wear a skirt again, he decided to step up to the challenge. For that he's been hailed as "Father of the Year" by Gawker, and praised in parenting blogs around the web for his progressive approach to nipping self-esteem issues in bud.

Hand in hand, the Pickerts paraded their custom together around their small village, and soon the shame died away. His son became emboldened again, even giddy at the reactions his father got from slack-jawed strangers. Being different, he found, wasn't so scary after all, especially when Dad's got your back.

After Pickert's son learned that lesson, he began passing the wisdom on to his classmates. If he's teased now, he tells them: "You don't dare to wear skirts and dresses because your dads don't dare to either..."

SNIP

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/dad-protects-son-bullies-wearing-skirt-guess-works-153600107.html

[Major Nikon]

1. I have a picture of my grandfather in a dress when he was about 3 or 4

This was over 100 years ago so I guess back then it wasn't such a big deal. I'm not sure this father's approach is all that great, but at least it's seems he's very supportive of his son.

[Luminous Animal]

2. 100 years ago,many upper middle and upper class raised all their boys as "girls" until

deemed as ready for short pants and integrated into the male influence of the household.. Around ages 5-7. I figure men didn't want to have anything to do with their male children until they were old enough master language and to comprehend a "man's world".

I think that the father's approach is great and no different from mothers who supported their daughters wearing pants when back in the day that girls wearing pants was suspect.