How do children develop gender roles? In reading "Boys don't do that!" by Susan A. Miller, I learned about stages children go through during preschool years and their mentality towards one another at that age. "Parents: On a role" a newspaper article by Peter Howarth, tells about parenting and each parent's role in raising a child. While both articles tell about children and developmental roles, they present different ideas about developing and express two different examples of where children develop their gender roles, and impacts. .
"Boys Don't Do That", by Susan A. Miller tells a lot about stereotyping between boys and girls at a young age. Four year old Tomas teases his friend Bradley for holding a purse full of treasure saying "Only girls or mommies carry purses!" This is a typical example of stereotyping with children of such young age. Where do they get this judgment? Observation of other children their age is a large part of their development. Peers have a very large impact on young children's lives, the way they dress, act, and think. Miller states that "many fours, though, prefer playing with same-sex peers and can strongly be influenced by and judgmental of playmates clothes, accessories and toys". Children often look to each other for approval, and discover themselves through other children their age. In the article written by Miller, stages of development are discussed through pre-kindergarten years (three and four year olds). At three, Miller explains, "children know weather they are boys or girls. But because their thinking is concrete, their understanding of gender is limited to behavior and physical appearance." as children get older, they distinguish between each gender differently. Such things include, the parts they play in games, such as girls playing mommies and holding purses, and boys being soldiers or train engineers. One of the strongest aspects of where children start developing their gender roles occurs during pre-kindergarten years, by other children's influence as explained in the article by Susan A.
