boys and pink

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Permalink Reply by Sew About My World on February 25, 2009 at 9:02am

My 3 yr old son plays with my daughters hand-me-downs toys. I have no problems with my 3 yr old carrying a Bitty Baby, serving pretend food on pink plastic plates or dressing Build A Bears in tutus. I haven't notice it negatively effecting my olders sons.

There will be a day when a purple jump rope turns into nunchucks, a pink platic plate will be a boomerang to catch a pretend bad guy and Barbie will be posed to look like a machine gun....all without anybody showing him how to do it.

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Permalink Reply by Sheryl Loch on February 28, 2009 at 11:46am

I do not have any boys. If I did I think I would want them to play house. That is a way for them to learn a bit of socializing. Along with the fact that I would want them to learn how to play real house by doing dishes, vacuuming, laundry... ;)

I think that boys are not raised with the idea that they are men & don't do the house things. The old saying of 'That's woman's work' is gone (or should be).

Pink is just a color, only real men can wear it & not feel funny.

I let my girls play with trucks, army men, sports.... I don't see why it is different for boys to play with 'girl' toys. One day they may find themselves as a father & need to know few things about babies, teddy bears, and even how to get the dang clothes on a Barbie.

Sheryl

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Permalink Reply by Renay Matthews on February 28, 2009 at 11:08pm

I have friends in other countries that tell me the colors don't matter like they do here in the states.
Let them wear pink, gap did a cute line of pink last year for boys and my son wore it.
Playing house brings a good balance to, I grew up playing with trucks, I don't see any difference.
:0)

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Permalink Reply by Midwest Mom on March 2, 2009 at 7:44am

My sons are divided on the issue of pink. My younger one is the first to divide things into the "girls" category and the "boys" category. He is anti-pink. He is, however, pro-rainbow, as they are (apparently) gender-neutral. My older son thinks pink is just a color. He has noticed that men sometimes wear pink dress shirts and that everyone has pink lips. He tosses out these facts whenever his younger brother is getting a little too adamant about which colors a person is "allowed" to have as a part of his life.

As far as play kitchens go, my husband is a fantastic cook. If my guys see that and want to play "Daddy" by pretending to cook, I say more power to them. I approach my children as whole persons and I want them to grow into fully self-sufficient adults. So, teaching them that anyone can do any job seems just right.

BTW -- my daughter loves to play with tools, too. ;)

- Julia at Midwest Moms

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Permalink Reply by Candes on March 2, 2009 at 11:42am

My husband was against them having baby dolls but they'd play with them at church. I don't particularly care. My sons are 4 and 2 and they're "all boy." Every stick is a sword or gun. They love dirt and puddles.

When I cook they love to help me in the kitchen. I think a play kitchen set is a great idea and playing house is a fun way to learn about family dynamics.

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Permalink Reply by rachel j. k. grace on March 2, 2009 at 12:45pm

I'm not terribly fond of pink, so it's unlikely that I'll ever dress my son in that color. But if he wants to wear it when he's older, that's up to him. His father wears pink dress shirts and ties. I haven't a clue why someone would be bothered by a boy playing house. I remember playing house with boys in preschool and kindergarten - there was nothing unusual about it.

But do pink or playing house really push any boundaries? What about boys who want to wear dresses? I generally bristle at gender conditioning, but that's the one spot where societal standards dominate my thinking. I like to think that, if my son wants to wear dresses at some point, that I'll have the guts to let him do so. I really do believe that "this is for boys" and "that is for girls" is ultimately harmful thinking. Now what hubby thinks, that's probably another story...

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Permalink Reply by dianne on March 2, 2009 at 1:03pm

I raised three boys and I beleive they should be allowed to choose their own colors in clothes and as many other things as possiable. All of my boys grow up to healthy adults. I think playing house, even playing with dolls helps perpare them to be fathers and care givers. My youngest son wanted curlers in his hair and painted toe nails. Out of all of my sons he is the one with the most outragious fashion sense. He is raising two girls now and has fun being a Dad. I believe freedom to choose the small things teaches a child to make the important chocies. I say let him wear pink but give him a choice between to healthy snacks. Pick your battles carefully. Is the pink shirt worth his question his ability to make dessions for his self?

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Permalink Reply by dorkhat on March 3, 2009 at 7:23am

I have no problem with boys playing with anything that is suppose to be for girls or wearing pink. I guess I can't really complain since I sometimes wear a hot pink shirt that says "Tough guys wear pink"

I don't think it has any affect on kids if you let your boy play with dolls. However when eventually he starts asking questions about private areas and what not I wouldn't want to explain that barbies aren't exactly an accurate representation of women.

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Permalink Reply by Callie Domingues on March 3, 2009 at 7:53am

I also believe that boys should be allowed (and encouraged) to play with all toys. My son had a baby when he was younger but when his sister was born, he willing gave it to her. He plays dress up with his sister and even plays Loving Family with her. I think that this will only groom him to be a great daddy someday. My son also helps with his sister and little brother a lot. Again, this is great practice for when he is bigger.

On the other hand, this is not all he does. He has played football, basketball and now baseball. He can fight with the best of them and loves DIRT!! Ultimately he will end up being a well rounded man. Someone who can be tough when needed, gentle with little ones and a sensitive heart.

With a good example set at home, by the "man" of the house, your son will end up just perfect! Therefore, let him play with whatever toys (pink or otherwise) and cook you a great meal! The end result will be the same, mama loves him for who he is!

Blessings

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Permalink Reply by kristendom on March 3, 2009 at 6:36pm

My 3-year-old son loves pink nail polish - and I am happy to paint his nails pink, despite the comments I get from other family members (mostly his grandparents). I tend to try and encourage as much experimentation with all types of toys as possible - sure we can get him a tool set, as long as we get him a kitchen set, too. For Christmas he asked for Cars toys, so we got him those, but also a bunch of art supplies.
I have to admit, though, despite all my efforts at keeping his toys somewhat gender neutral, when I tried to get him a baby doll the other day because he likes babies so much, he informed me that it was "a girl's toy." That made me a little sad. I was hoping for at least another year or two to work on that.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on March 4, 2009 at 5:14pm

I don't have boys, BUT like you, I allow my daughters to play with traditional "boy" things like hot wheel cars. I think it's great that you are comfortable enough to allow your son to experiment with all sorts of different colors and forms of play. I think it makes for a well-rounded child!

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Permalink Reply by Jen Vasiliades on March 5, 2009 at 6:34am

Diane, wonderful answer - pick your battles. Of my four, 2 boys, 2 girls, 11, 12, 13 & 17 - they have played with it all. No baby doll or skateboard is sacred. And I have to say they are pretty well rounded kids. My boys are gentle with babies and animals and my girls can rock a round house. They can all make "something" for dinner and wash their own laundry . . . I'm just hoping to raise stable, self-sufficient adults and comes thru many experiences. I try and provide thoses experiences and keep them from dangerous situations - that's when I, as a parent need to step in. All in all I like the person that each of my kids is becoming- that's important to me.

Dale Hrabi said:

Great advice, Dianne!

dianne said:

I raised three boys and I beleive they should be allowed to choose their own colors in clothes and as many other things as possiable. All of my boys grow up to healthy adults. I think playing house, even playing with dolls helps perpare them to be fathers and care givers. My youngest son wanted curlers in his hair and painted toe nails. Out of all of my sons he is the one with the most outragious fashion sense. He is raising two girls now and has fun being a Dad. I believe freedom to choose the small things teaches a child to make the important chocies. I say let him wear pink but give him a choice between to healthy snacks. Pick your battles carefully. Is the pink shirt worth his question his ability to make dessions for his self?

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