Occasionally when I saw my nephews playing with trucks and guns and my nieces girls with baby dolls I would hear my siblings comment that they came that way. I differed in opinion, but what could I say? I hadn't had any children of my own.
Thus you can imagine my ha!-take that-joy when yesterday I was at Grandmas and was trying to quiet Christian and I grabbed the nearest toy, a doll. Suddenly Christian had a smile on his face and was laughing. When I took it away because it was time to go he cried. I've seen Christian interested and focused on other toys yes, but I've never seen him so happy with one. My conclusion? Our social bug of a boy naturally likes dolls, and I don't think he's the only one.
4 comments:
Ahhh! I love this and I love you!!
I miss you, Rachel dearest! Give that social bug of a boy a big hug and kiss for me.
Alexis is totally obsessed with cars, trucks, and trains; she only just recently started showing any sort of interest in dolls. My friend's baby boy (about 19 months old) is obsessed with brushing/playing with long hair, so my friend went out and bought him a long-haired doll so he could practice on something other than her head. (She's still getting grief from her hubby on that one.)
I say whatever makes the kid happy, go for it! :)
I don't think that kids have to stay strictly within their predetermined "social roles" but you may or may not be amazed at what happens two years from now when it seems boys start turning everything into a weapon and girls start to try and nurture everything. Our kids really do have the same toys to play with and even when Hyrum plays with Elle's barbies they get smashed into something else and Hyrum's dinosaurs get nurtured by Elle:). I think infants like dolls in general because they have faces, Chloe laughs out loud at herself in the mirror. I was a tom boy and asked for a tool set for Christmas the same year my younger brother asked for a vacuum, my mom was puzzled but before long my favorite color was pink and my brother was into legos with no encouragement either way.
The husbands may be a little more picky but they're not usually at home all day. My brother has 3 boys and the middle one loves pushing a stroller and wearing a purse, we realized because my brother also does that, push the stroller and carry the diaper bag. And most kids like to play with kitchen stuff, and not nearly as many boys grow up with the ability to cook, or girls for that matter:).
Toys are toys, colors are colors but I do think there is a divine sense of stewardship in each gender and that should not be discouraged either:). We let our kids be as "boy" or "girl" as they please, well to an extent or else Hyrum would rough up all of Elle's baby dolls and Elle would paint all of Hyrum's weapons pink:).
Was that a soap box, I'm sorry for the long reply, should have been an email:).
Coinsidently, the other day at the library we came across this book that I thought fit in well with your blog theme:) and was actually a great book, the kids really liked it:
Pink Magic by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Chad Cameron.
I think at least you and Christian would enjoy reading it together:).
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