DD is obsessed with trains so we try to go to the library once a week to play with the train table. Today, she walked over to the table and a little boy told her that "only boys can play with trains". So I said, "that's not true! Girls can play with trains, too!" and then got a dirty look from his mother.
Have any of you had this happen?
Re: Girl toys
My 4 year old son put on ALL the sequined clothes out of the dress-up bin at preschool last month and likes to play dinosaurs in the dollhouse, but he told me something was only a "girl" toy yesterday that he had previously played with, I don't remember what it was. I reminded him that he had enjoyed playing with it just a couple weeks ago. I think it might be something that happens at his age, though, when they start to notice differences between boys and girls.
I don't get the dirty look from the other mom, especially since all the library toys are there for all the kids to use, so you would want to encourage them to share or take turns with whatever it was, be it trains, blocks, puppets or baby dolls.
Sorry but I totally expect my young man to grow up knowing how to sew a button on, cook clean and do everything else necessary to survive in life...if he is lucky enough to one day meet someone special and start a life he should have a partner not a second momma. If I had a little girl, sure as hell she'd be growing up the exact same way.
Let kids be kids .. growing up and conforming to the " socially acceptable norms "comes fast enough. This is their time to experiment and use their imaginations and have free play without being made to feel self conscious. Who in there right mind would want to cage these free spirits and mold them into drones .. half the fun of having kids is the hilarious adventures along the way
..and how else do we get to make fun of them on their wedding day haha
I would have said the same thing had I been in your shoes.
girl toys/boy toys...a ridiculous notion. Kids love to imitate and explore everything at this age.