I reckon I might just be a bit of a Peter Pan ( why there isn't a female equivalent to the youth-chasing PP I don't know, but that surely requires a whole other post)- essentially my point is, I refuse to GROW UP or more so, I don't feel that different from the 21 year old girl I was erm, (Googles a calculator)-14 years ago (case in point)- despite two kids and 2 c-sections (ouch) and cement thick concealer to hide my my eye bags.
Boys, as with girls, are individuals, their personalities and interests vary from child to child based on character, along with socio-economic and cultural influences- yet both sexes are frustratingly so often confined and limited, made to conform to stereotypical gender-specific notions (many archaic and not relevant to today) with children being defined by their sex, homogenised by assumptions and labels.
We're having a bit of a 90's revival in our house right now, reflecting on the good ol' days thanks to YouTube, as I take my kids down memory lane and some of the best telly EVER made. I'm so pumped, I've very nearly drawn a Cindy Crawford style beauty spot above my lips in excitement.
Gillene Butterfield is an Opera Singer, who works full time for Opera North. She became a Mum in September 2014 and lives in Leeds with her husband Nick, who is also a singer.
Gillene returned to work in March this year after her maternity leave, to take on the lead role of Julie Jordan in the revival of Carousel (13-23rd May) at the Grand Theatre Leeds and on tour.
