Gender-Specific Things in Childhood.

[Abdulmajid]

Is it wrong to give girls princess outfits, plastic tea sets and fluffy pink things and give boys action men, cars and play power tools?

Or do kinder gardens discourage colonial sexism nowadays?

Thank you

[Drisgirl]

O noo -I loved my wee girl playing with her dollies and me trailing round Tescos-with her life like dolly (Sarah-Margaret -she has progressed name wise TF) -strapped into the baby bit of the trolly as she was being the normal annoying brat running mad as I tried to curtail her whils looking like I had child of Chuckys in my trolly !!!

O I dont think i would have liked my son playing with dollies but action men/batman-spiderman were OK somehow -I know its all wrong but I dont care -thats the way I would still be and no way would I have bought my son a pram and a Barbie for his birthday !!!

Suppose im asteriotypical lol

[Barmaid]

It may be an idea to ask the parents. My friends have a little girl and she is just not girlie. Pink dresses and dollies are not for her. She is an out and out tomboy who follows her dad everywhere and would rather be in his workshop or with the farm animals than in the kitchen. However, another friend of mine has two girls (6 and 8) and they love their dolls and tea parties. Think it is just down the the child and his/her parents!

As children (2 girls) we did have dollies, but frankly we were more interested in lego, toy cars and dad's combine. Mum was more likely to find us making dens or ramps for our bikes or coming up with some contraption to make the horse tow our sledge than baking cakes or playing house. (And now mum wonders why she has two single daughters who love fast cars!!!)

[jen78]

I think it's fine if they are wanted but they shouldn't be given to try and enforce a sterotype if that makes sense.

I loved some girly things but was always quiet jealous of the lego and mechano and such my brother got.

Used to annoy me how any computer or DIY related things were always addressed to my brother even if I was actually more knowledgeable etc...

I started off doing ballet and playing the flute and ended up an RAF cadet and running the college climbing club :)

A friend's children have a kin dof role reversal going on.

Her daughter loves to do tomboyish things and little boy loves girly things like playing hairdresser and doing my hair. When his dad asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up he answered, a girl, bless him!

They were bought costumes for Christmas, her a fairy one and him a soldier one. They went to put them on for me and came down wearing each others :)

[Drisgirl]

ooo Jen -you just went grey -wa haaay !!!!!


Agree with both of you I didnt 'Hothouse' my kids into any genre -R went techie like his dad and J went girlie- and still is -very unlike me -so its inherent in each individual. xx

[jen78]

No still a greenie and no idea why I was banned, can't be bothered trying to get through to Miss Ed so have just reinvented myself :)

[unrulyjulie]

when my son was 2 he really really wanted a tea set, loved pouring the pretend cups of tea etc.... the only one i could find in the shops was a pink one much to my ex husbands horror! Who cares? He certainly didnt. He also has a cooker which he loves but his favourite toys are his cars!
My step daughter had lots of cars too, predominantly boys toys but no in answer to your question......nothing wrong with gender toys but nothing to worry about if it strays a little from that either.

[sir.knobby]

Jules hya I thought you had packed up and went to live on mars with ray

[unrulyjulie]

lol knobby, bloody tempting though

[mccfluff]

no idea wardy but i remember getting ****** off when i got a tea set and my brother got an action man helicopter for xmas!