I wanted to write this post to share my opinion with all those who are unsure or think they're extremely sure how they feel about this topic, but also to hear how others feel too. I'm going to address the biggest fears I hear from parents concerning whether or not their child should play with toys aimed at the opposite sex.
First, I'll start with my first-hand experience. When I was a child, my dad bought me every toy I think he ever wanted as a kid. I played with giant water guns, the coolest bikes, RC cars, army men, and many more "boy toys". Most of the kids I played with were boys just because that's who was around. I enjoyed playing in the dirt and rough housing.
Despite all these things, I still grew up a girl and evolved into a woman.
Don't get me wrong, I loved playing with baby dolls and pretending to cook. I enjoyed playing school and hop scotch - things you might imagine a girl doing, but my parents always allowed me to choose which types of toys I wanted to play with and I always had an assortment to choose from.
Do I think all girls have to play with pink and purple toys? No. However, I'm not offended by them. Pink has been representative of girls for many years and I don't think that will go away any time soon. On that same note, I don't find it offensive nor neglectful when I see a parent letting their son play with a pink toy. I also don't find it terrifying when a boy chooses a pink lollipop, balloon, bracelet, or any other object when given a choice.
You may already know where I'm going with this.
No. I don't think it's wrong for a boy to play with dolls or a girl to play army men. In my opinion, this isn't going to ruin their character or make them confused about who they are. It may even help them to be a little more well-rounded. A boy
caring for a baby doll or watching a "girly" movie might help him relate to the opposite sex a little better. Just as a girl who plays with cars and dirt may learn that superficial things aren't as important as people make them seem.
It's also my opinion that there is a lot of influence today making girls feel like they have do do girly things like paint their nails and put on makeup. It's starting at such a young age it actually makes me ill. I don't want my daughter to grow up thinking these are the things that make her who she is or that these are the qualities that make girls valuable. Likewise for boys. There is so much pressure for them to be "men". They are taught not to cry or show emotion and that if they pick up a toy meant for a girl, it's a bad thing. They are shamed into believing it's wrong.
Why have we made it this way? We're so afraid of our children not growing up to be "normal" that we forget to let them be
THEMSELVES.
The next most common fear I hear about is their child becoming homosexual. Really?! Nope. I'm pretty sure no toy ever has made a child gay! I think that's enough said for that topic.
These are my opinions, and my personal advice is to give your child the freedom to be his or herself. Give them the opportunity to be individuals. Children play to learn. If you are judging them by the toys they play with, they are learning that they can't be themselves around you.
Don't stifle a young child's IMAGINATION for fear of individuality.
What's your opinion?
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