Toddler Dies While Being 'Toughened Up'

From GenderPAC

~ "He wanted to turn him into a little soldier..." ~

Special to The Press EnterpriseWASHINGTON (August 17, 2006) Teaching a three-year-old boy to be "a soldier" and not a "sissy" proved to be a fatal lesson for Mikey Vallejo-Seiber. In a preliminary hearing in Riverside, CA on Tuesday, Judge Elisabeth Sichel ruled that there was sufficient evidence to try Alex Mendoza for first-degree murder in the death of his former girlfriend's child.

"Children pay a high price when parents and caregivers insist on raising boys to be 'real men' or girls to be 'little ladies.' The cost was tragic in this case," said Taneika Taylor, Director of GenderPAC's Children As They Are program.

Mendoza, who was openly critical of Mikey's upbringing, attempted to "toughen up" the toddler by calling him a "sissy" who needed to be toughened up, slapping him, and urging him to beat up his Elmo doll, according to the toddler's mother. The three-year-old died in the hospital after suffering massive internal injuries from being kicked, punched, and dropped on the head while in Mendoza's care.

"He loved the child. He wanted to turn him into a little soldier," said Mendoza's attorney to The Press Enterprise after the preliminary hearing.

Using violence to enforce expectations for masculinity is extreme, but not the exception. In January 2005, another three-year-old, Ronnie Paris, died from head injuries received during brutal boxing bouts that his father hoped would prevent him from growing up to be a "sissy."

"Little boys should be little boys, not soldiers. Any father who need to make his son strong, silent, and hard should be adopting Clint Eastwood, not raising a small child," added Taylor.

Mikey's mother, Pamela Seiber, pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges and was sentenced to the maximum term of six years on Monday, August 14, 2006. Mendoza has entered a plea of not guilty.