Because I am a girl, I was raised differently. I was taught to be more conscious of my surroundings. I was taught how to sit, how to speak, how to doll up my face.

Because I am a girl, I was given pepper spray as a stocking stuffer the year before I left for college. I learned that there could be someone lurking around every turn, and to have my pepper spray ready when I got nervous.

Because I am a girl, I learned a strict dress code that included my shorts not being short and my shirt not showing my shoulders. I was taught that these things are “distracting” and “un-ladylike.”

Because I am a girl, I was taught to examine my drink at a bar or party closely before drinking it. I was taught that drugs are easily slipped into drinks and that I should always keep a hand over mine to avoid this. I was taught that if I left a drink out of my sight for a moment, to not pick it back up, out of fear that it would be tainted.

Because I am a girl, I was taught to approach my car with caution at night, just in case someone was hiding under it ready to grab my ankles.

Because I am a girl, I was raised differently than my brother. I was raised to be cautious and fragile. I was raised to be strong, but also careful.

Because I am a girl, I was taught all of these things. But boys aren’t taught these things. Boys don’t learn to cover their drinks or not show their shoulders. Boys don’t have to learn the same lessons I did, because more often than not, girls are the people being attacked.

As I write this I think, yes, I am aware that men can be rape victims too. And yes, I’m aware that boys also have a dress code. And yes, I’m sure many boys are very cautious and sometimes more cautious than the females in their lives. However most boys aren’t.

Three precent of American men will be a victim of sexual assault. One in six American women will be the victims of sexual assault, with 54 percent of all sexual assaults happening to men or women ages 18-34.

I did not set out to list the lessons I was taught as a bad thing. They have proved great lessons throughout the years. From the time I had a date rape drug slipped in my drink at a bar in Mexico, to the time I was just nervous getting to my car after a midnight Meijer run.

My point is that I learned these lessons only because I am female. We live in a world where because I am female, and on a college campus, I worry about these things. When in all reality, horrible things like rape shouldn’t happen.

Now I’m no imbecile, I know crime will never be irradiated from this world. But those numbers are not pretty. I mean one in six women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

So I think we all need to take a step back, and think about not only the things we teach out daughters to keep them safe, but also what we teach our sons.

Because as cautious as you may raise your daughter to be, you can’t protect her from the son that was raised incorrectly forever.