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LGBT Parenting
Sexist Toys???
So I was reading another post and down at the bottom of the page they have the Hot Topics and I just saw one that said do you think this toy is sexist? And it's that Laugh and Learn purse, my niece has one and it drives me up the wall with the songs but hey, the pain of being parents right? lol Anyway I saw this comment:
I was researching toys for a Christmas Adopt-A-Family gift online, and really was left with a feeling of hopelessness should I ever have a little girl. I think it was Crate and Barrel that I was on where the little girls section had: vacuum cleaner, cash register, oven, & vanity desk with cosmetics. The little boy section had awesome stuff like spy kits and toy trains (nothing preparing them for a life as a waitress or house-keeper). It just seemed like a lot of the girl toys were preparing them for domestic labor or relying on their looks while little boys got toys that just let them pretend to be fantastical things. I have yet to see a spy kit for girls. It doesn't seem right that I'll have to shop in the boy section for my little girl, but there you go. *shrug* It's us as parents that drive what they make for kids, so don't buy it if you don't like the message it sends.
I'm wondering what every ones thoughts are. Do you buy your children gender specific toys or refuse to buy gender specific toys? If we have a girl I plan on buying blocks and what not because I personally love to play with blocks lol but we also plan on buying a few "girly" toys like shopping carts, purses and princess chairs if that's what she wants. Although I have seen this on Crate and Barrel and anywhere else and it does irk me a little.
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Re: Sexist Toys???
Before my kids had very specific requests for toys, we bought them a little of everything: play kitchen, big trucks, baby dolls, trains, baby carriage, tool work bench...etc. Now most of their could be classified as "boy" boys (Legos/Bey Blades/pirate ships/etc - but we've also been known to purchase (at the request of our son) things that are traditionally "girl" toys (ie. Polly Pockets.)
But I don't think the toys in and of themselves are sexist. I think it is important for the kids to see male chefs (the boys' godfather is a chef and they love Food Network) and see their moms drilling holes, mulching the yard, and fixing things around the house. There is no such thing (obviously) as mens work and womens work in our house.
I keep thinking this is Facebook and try to "like" both of your comments lol.
I'm afraid J is going to make our sons think there is such things as boy and girl duties. She does not know how to mow and refuses to learn *sigh* I on the other hand have a douche bag for a step father and I had to push mow our freaking yard at 7. Don't worry, I'll get her on a mower if it takes the rest of my life
As far as anything else goes I've always wanted my children to know that men and women can do the same thing. My dads side of the family is very southern and very old school. The women do everything inside the house and bear children while the men get jobs and do yard work. My grandfather, uncles, cousins all get to the table once the women put the food out then leave after they're done and the women clean up. You have no idea how much this pisses me off and when I was younger I said something about it but they just told me "that's how it is."
I will teach my sons how to vacuum, he will do dishes, laundry, clean house and work outside and my daughters WILL know how to mow a yard even if their mommy can't lol and they'll also learn domestic duties.
I just don't know how toys tie into all of this? They're toys. Do you remember the toys you played with at 2? I had a sh*t ton of barbies growing up and played with them daily but never had "boys" toys. Now I'm a lesbian haha
I think toys are definitely very sexist.
That being said though I think that the creation of sexist toys is often time perpetuated by the parents who by them. My nephew is almost four and everytime he comes here we cook together. We even have matching aprons. I wanted to get him a toy kitchen two years ago and his father (my meat head brother) had a hissy fit and said no way in heck is my son playing with a kitchen. So finally this year I came across a little tykes grill and got him that for Christmas and he loves it. I wanted to get him some play food to go along with it and it took me forever to find food that was geared towards little girls. Personally if it was my kid I could care less but I wanted his father to actually let him have it. The funny part is that my brother does all of the cooking because his wife is domestically retarded.
I don't think that the toys themselves are sexist. However, some of the marketing and some of the parental interaction with the toys is sexist. I hope that more companies move towards what Hamley's (huge famous toy store in London) recently did, which is to do away with the "girls" and "boys" sections.
I do believe that many (not all) little boys naturally gravitate towards "boy" toys and little girls to "girl" toys. And I do believe that many (not all) boys and girls play differently with the same toys.
My philosophy is that it's my job as a (future) parent to offer choices, and to educate about the fact that there are options. I doubt we'll get the overtly girly (i.e. princesses, make up) or boyish toys (can't even think of any...) for a child of the opposite sex unless they ask (in which case I'd have no issue), but we will certainly offer kitchens and dolls and such to a boy child and trucks and construction and science sets to a girl child.
IVF Oct/Nov 2012
Beta #1 = 77, Beta #2 = 190, Beta #3 = 1044
Cautiously optimistic.