My Son’s Soccer Teammates Are Teaching Him a Bad Lesson About How a Boy Is “Supposed” to Act
A mother is concerned about her son Manny, who is facing teasing for wearing a pink soccer jersey. Despite discussing gender norms with him, Manny opts for the teal jersey to avoid social exclusion. The mother seeks advice on how to support Manny's choices while navigating societal expectations.
- ▪Manny is the goalie for a club soccer team and has two jersey colors: teal and hot pink.
- ▪He initially liked the pink jersey but faced teasing, leading him to choose the teal one instead.
- ▪The mother wants to support Manny's ability to choose his clothing while also addressing the pressures of social acceptance.
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Care and Feeding My Son’s Soccer Teammates Are Teaching Him a Bad Lesson About How a Boy Is “Supposed” to Act I’m so torn. Advice by Michelle Herman May 24, 20269:18 AM Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Getty Images Plus. Copy Link Share Share Comment Copy Link Share Share Comment Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here. Dear Care and Feeding, My son, “Manny,” is the goalie for a club soccer team, and he has two jersey colors, teal (home games) and hot pink (away games). The rest of the team wears black. His coach says he can wear whichever color he likes when they play. Though Manny initially liked the pink, he was teased when he wore it, so now he wears only the teal jersey.
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