Do you ever find yourself wondering whether your daughter should play with Barbie dolls, that pink should be her favorite color, and that your son should be the opposite? Notice how many “should” there are in that sentence, well who made these rules anyway, and do we need to preoccupy ourselves with them?
I’m going to let you in on a little secret, I think the total opposite when it comes to my two children. I actually worry about these gender stereotypes and I intend on breaking them with my kids. Recently I was with my daughter at the supermarket when she grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf. The bottle had a male superhero and as she was putting it back she said “this is for boys”, at which point I told her that girls can be superheroes and can drink in whatever design bottle they want.
My daughter is strong willed, a leader. Ever since she could walk she would follow her father around the house while he would repair household items and until now, she is absolutely in love with tools and I actually got her a toolbox for Christmas, the kid-friendly version of course. My son on the other hand colors with all the crayons available and while some may scold their boys for using pink and purple, I encourage him to experiment with every color available. When his older sister plays with her Barbie, he plays with Ken and when he’s bored he goes back to his cars and animal toys. When they play together with plush toys and dolls, he sometimes takes them on a ride in their special stroller. She drives the remote control car while he’s on the motorcycle, she maneuvers the drone while he solves a puzzle. She’s bossy and he’s sensitive. I could go on and on but what I intend to say is that as long as it is within my means, I will continue to let them express themselves and I refuse to make them fit the mold that society has carved out. Let children be children, let them be who they want to me, and play with the toys they choose.
How about you mamas, do you agree with me or do you prefer your kids to have set gender roles?
Maria Najem
photo: dreamstime.com
