Thoroughly irked...

[minkydog]

I learned recently that my 18yo nephew has decided on his major--pediatric nursing! Being a ped nurse for the last 28yrs, i couldn't be more thrilled. He's a great kid, smart, compassionate, an Eagle Scout. I made sure to tell him how proud I am; I know he'll make a great nurse. He's so wonderful with children.

The catch? His parents are not pleased. Not only are they not pleased, they are making snide remarks about his "gender orientation" and have flat out told him that as a man he cannot work in pediatrics. WTH??!! I took DSis aside and reminded her that nursing is open to all genders, and that whether he is gay or straight has no bearing on his chosen profession(he's straight, btw). She insists that he cannot be a ped nurse because he's a man, and her DH chimed right in, poo-poohing the whole thing. Sheesh.

Now mind you, neither of these two graduated from college and they both work at low paying jobs. How the heck would they know anything about nursing as a career? Not only that but they have hinted at not helping him pay for nursing school. His dad wants him to be an engineer--great career, except he hates math and prefers nursing. I asked DNephew if he had looked into scholarships which would help him get his education. He was right on top of things--seems he has already been to a Navy recruiter and talked to them about joining the Navy to pay for college.

Boy aren't they going to be surprised when they find out how much he can make working as a nurse

 

[floridafam]

Tell them to shut up.

What a wonderful career choice.

I have had many wonderful male nurses care for me and various family members. I must say, some of the nicest pediatric nurses I've encountered have been men.

I've never once thought about their gender orientation.

Good luck to him!

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Good for him. Join the Navy and have them pay for college. Great way to go if you ask me.

 

[kbkids]

Two of the best nurses my DD had in NICU were men. I can't believe his parents are being so discouraging. Glad he has you to turn to.

 

[Rex Rules]

What terrible attitudes and could they be less supportive of their son?? How sad.
Personally, I am thrilled when men do something they feel led to do - nurse, teacher, etc. Too many times I think men don't do a career they would be happier with because of attitudes like this. DD has a man teacher this year and he is the most wonderful teacher she has ever had. I haven't met very many people who were so obviously and well suited to their chosen profession. I for one am thrilled that he chose the path less traveled.
Same for your nephew. Continue to support him. If he is happy, that is the most important thing - then whatever career he chooses, anyone will be lucky to be his patient, because he will be there because he loves it.

 

[4greatboys]

Wow I cannot imagine being so unsupportive of my own child and making fun of them for their career choices.

 

[BavarianPrincess]

Wow. Just. Wow. What a good thing that he has a wonderful, supportive aunt! I was in the hospital last year, and the best nurse I had was a man. Well, maybe his parents will wake up and appreciate having a smart, hardworking, and caring son.

 

[Talking Hands]

What terrible attitudes and could they be less supportive of their son?? How sad.
Personally, I am thrilled when men do something they feel led to do - nurse, teacher, etc. Too many times I think men don't do a career they would be happier with because of attitudes like this. DD has a man teacher this year and he is the most wonderful teacher she has ever had. I haven't met very many people who were so obviously and well suited to their chosen profession. I for one am thrilled that he chose the path less traveled.
Same for your nephew. Continue to support him. If he is happy, that is the most important thing - then whatever career he chooses, anyone will be lucky to be his patient, because he will be there because he loves it.

Some of the best nurses I and my daughters have had were male nurses. They were very caring and never did anything inappropriate. SOme great areas for them in pediatrics is in pediatric psych units, working with teen male patients who might be uncomfortable with a female nurse, orthropedics, NICU. My daughter had a great male nurse in NICU and that at almost 30 years ago. Bravo for your nephew and good luck to him.

 

[stm61]

the best nurse my dd's had in nicu was a man and when I had surgery last summer my favorite nurse was a man! My mother, an RN for about 40 yrs at that time, hated it. She also shared the men should be dr's attitude.

 

[AdventurerKat]

I think your nephew has made a great choice. Its too bad his parents can't support it.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

This has nothing to do with Pedi but when my Mom was dying she had a male nurse.. He was so wonderful, caring, sympathetic to the family... I cannot say enough about male nurses..

Shame on them for not encouraging him...you keep him encouraged.

 

[Laura]

It's really a shame that his parents are so negative. I hope he sticks to his guns!

 

[anewvance]

Good for him, wow to be 18 and know what he wants to do... his parents should be proud! He will do what his heart tells him to do and it will be throughly rewarding! I want to go back to school myself and major in ob nursing.

 

[doxdogy]

I am so sorry that his parents are being so negative. I agree tell them to shush their mouths. That is great that your nephew already has a game plan formulated. Definitely join the Navy and let them pay for college.

 

[eclectics]

Reading between the lines, they seem to be more upset about the pediatrics part than the nurse part. You might want to bring up the subject of the actual percentage of Pediatricians who are male and ask their opinion about that, or do they think that they are all gay too?

 

[Sleepy]

His parents are not pleased. Not only are they not pleased, they are making snide remarks about his "gender orientation" and have flat out told him that as a man he cannot work in pediatrics.

Ok, I will bite. His parents are cowards.

My son has aspirations of being a professional ballet dancer. He has had this goal since age 8. He will be 14 next month. Do we have a problem with it? Absolutely NOT! We support him 100% and have made both personal and financial sacrifices in the process and will continue to do so until they day he says "I quit". We are not ashamed of our son's choice of career. We proudly discuss it just as a parent of a football or soccer player would. A real parent has unconditional love for their child.

 

[Annie68]

Good for him!! I have worked with many wonderful male nurses over the years.

 

[mbw12]

I think that his parents should be proud of the fact that they raised such a wonderful human being.

 

[GEM]

Good for your nephew! My little guy spent 83 days in the NICU and he had the most wonderful nurses in the world, including quite a few men. It never even occured to us to give their gender a second thought. They were wonderful, skilled, compaionate nurses - and that's all we cared about!

 

[drakethib]

I learned recently that my 18yo nephew has decided on his major--pediatric nursing! Being a ped nurse for the last 28yrs, i couldn't be more thrilled. He's a great kid, smart, compassionate, an Eagle Scout. I made sure to tell him how proud I am; I know he'll make a great nurse. He's so wonderful with children.

The catch? His parents are not pleased. Not only are they not pleased, they are making snide remarks about his "gender orientation" and have flat out told him that as a man he cannot work in pediatrics. WTH??!! I took DSis aside and reminded her that nursing is open to all genders, and that whether he is gay or straight has no bearing on his chosen profession(he's straight, btw). She insists that he cannot be a ped nurse because he's a man, and her DH chimed right in, poo-poohing the whole thing. Sheesh.

Now mind you, neither of these two graduated from college and they both work at low paying jobs. How the heck would they know anything about nursing as a career? Not only that but they have hinted at not helping him pay for nursing school. His dad wants him to be an engineer--great career, except he hates math and prefers nursing. I asked DNephew if he had looked into scholarships which would help him get his education. He was right on top of things--seems he has already been to a Navy recruiter and talked to them about joining the Navy to pay for college.

Boy aren't they going to be surprised when they find out how much he can make working as a nurse

Ok.

I am hetro as they come and I see nothing wrong with his choice.

His parents are idiots if you ask me.