Mom’s way of parenting son free of any gender roles is inspiring parents all around the world

In a world where achieving healthy masculinity is a daily struggle, a mother and pediatric doctor decided to share how she is raising her son differently. In an Instagram video, Dr. Mona Amin (@pedsdoctalk) challenged stereotypical gender norms and made people re-think "what it means to raise boys." The wholesome video shatters gender stereotypes, featuring her son and husband embracing emotions society typically suppresses. With bold on-screen texts, the video encourages boys to express their emotions and teaches them that "responsibility isn’t defined by gender."

The video begins with Amin's son engulfed in his father's embrace and seeking comfort in a vulnerable moment. The on-screen text reads, "Don't raise your boy to think crying is okay because he may grow up to be an emotionally intelligent man." Traditional gender-specified roles begin right from childhood when boys are asked to choose toys other than dolls. This was beautifully explained by Amin who demonstrated how allowing boys to play with dolls can foster empathy and respect. "Don't raise your boy to play with dolls because he may grow up to be a man who nurtures those around him," she added text overlays on the screen. 

Another beautiful glimpse from the video showcases Amin's son taking up kitchen responsibilities and cleaning the house with his father, dismantling the outdated belief that household chores are not meant for men. She wrote, "Don't raise your boys to take responsibility for the domestic tasks around the house because they may grow up to be self-reliant."

The heartfelt video ends as we see Amin's son playing with a doll and then with his baby sister and the on-screen text reads, "Let's raise boys not to fit outdated stereotypes, but to be compassionate, authentic individuals. By breaking free from these expectations, we empower them (boys) to grow into well-rounded, emotionally strong and compassionate humans." Sharing the video, Amin also highlighted how boys who love -what society called- "girly" things are judged negatively. "Shifting these norms starts at home—with the words we use, the toys we offer, and the behavior we model. Let’s show boys that there’s no 'right' way to be themselves," she added in the caption.

The video won millions of hearts and garnered over 3 million views online. Besides, almost 2 lakh people reacted to the heart-touching video in the comment section. @karenstuhldreher wrote, "I LOVE this!! Maybe there will be less war in the world. Mothers are crying every day watching their children in war times." @same.al-hihi commented, "My boy cleans, makes his own smoothies (with supervision), washes his dishes, and can do laundry. He gets upset if I don't have him helping out. He is only 4 years old."

@timothyraidenmatthews commented on Amin's satirical way of lashing out at the societal pressure and wrote, "At first, I said uh! what? I teach my boys that crying is healthy... and then I realized how sarcastic and beautiful this video is." @debbie.lingsch commented, "That is when things will start changing when we raise boys differently." On the other hand, @williamaliscajr had an interesting suggestion for Amin as he wrote, "Just make sure he knows how to fight too."

You can follow Dr. Mona Amin (@pedsdoctalk) on Instagram for more content related to children's health and well-being.