Our public schools should not portray domestic violence as a battleground of boys versus girls. We must ensure we don't send children the wrong message, writes Elizabeth Jackson.
(...) I know boys get a bad rap these days, and believe me I understand why. Their physicality alone can be overwhelming.
"Stop bouncing balls inside", "don't touch one another", "think your own thoughts inside your own head", "you're not in a competition".
This is the chorus of my life.
But boys can be brave. I've seen it. Stoic two-year-old, blue eyes brimming with tears as he says, "It's OK Mumma, you go to work, I'll be OK."
They can be funny:
"What's a dictator?"
"Someone who takes control and doesn't let anyone else have a say."
"Like you?"
Boys seem to almost burst with enthusiasm. Their scabby knees and bruised legs a testament to the way they gulp at life.
And they can be tender, instinctive protectors of brothers, sisters and mothers.
But this was not the message on White Ribbon Day, according to one of my boys: "Men are just people who drink too much and discriminate women." (sic)
I asked about the poetry. Girls said things like, "Stop hurting us." One teacher said, "Girls are just as good as boys, if not better."
So negative, so counter-productive. Good intentions executed so poorly.