When Things Are Taken Too Far

[AllPurposeAtheist]

True enough. I just get tired of some of the opinions of people who don't have kids, don't want kids and don't like kids telling others the proper methods of raising kids. I'm not saying all parents know better because that's clearly not the case, but anyone who has ever raised a kid knows kids don't come with an owners manual and are pretty much non refundable.

[Jason78]

So my question is, if you agree with this (I certainly do not), would you give your 5 year old son a pink Barbie doll?

I wouldn't even give a girl a pink barbie doll.   

[AllPurposeAtheist]

They're not actually pink..more like light brownishy, sometimes dark brown.  What can I say, I raised 3 girls and have 4 granddaughters. I've seen lots of naked barbies. 

[VladK]

VladK: where do you stand? Do you agree with it? Do you take issue with giving a boy a Barbie doll?

If it's a regular cisgendered boy (as overwhelming majority are), yes I do take issue. People who want to completely blur male/female distinctions and pretend any toy is for anyone just to push some politically correct agenda, are not being realistic in my view. We can be tolerant of transgendered without being ridiculous.

What about giving a girl a fire truck?

That doesn't seem to be entirely comparable, but it probably wouldn't be my first choice if she didn't ask for one.

[GSOgymrat]

Kids will tell you what they want and what they don't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4a9CKgLprQ

[Plu]

If it's a regular cisgendered boy (as overwhelming majority are), yes I do take issue.

You must not have kids.

[Shol'va]

VladK

So you believe that supporting and encouraging a child's natural curiosity is a political statement? I have an infant. He doesn't know gender roles. He is interested in whatever he finds interesting. If I were to refuse him anything based on whatever reason, wouldn't THAT be taking a stance and possibly likewise making a political statement?
My kid doesn't know anything about anything and I'm not going to put limits to his curiosity based on what I may perceive as gender-"inappropriate" toys. He has expressed interest in pretty much everything I can think of. Whether or not it captured long term interest and to what degree he was interested in, that's another matter. He is discovering this world. If he wants a Barbie I'm going to let him play with one.

If giving a girl a fire truck is not comparable, can you give me a better example that you would consider on par with a boy playing with a Barbie?

"If it's a regular cisgendered boy (as overwhelming majority are)"

Citation please.

[Sal1981]

Don't have kids, but I have 2 younger siblings and 3 older siblings, growing up.

Apart from protecting kids from obvious dangers and learning them how to navigate through life, I don't see what the problem would be in letting them chose for themselves.

[pioteir]

Every psychologist will tell You that kids get curious about their gender and the differences between sexes. Naturally boys will want to "study" dolls out of curiosity and girls will want to "study" boys and their interests. According to their inner idea of what's right kids will make up their minds on what they like. To me the whole issue is just foam in the sea. I agree with the picture. Like George Carlin said: "You want to help Your children? LEAVE THEM THE FUCK ALONE!!" :)

[pioteir]

As for the video I loved the "did You smell Your onion" bit, the chubby kid's "I HATE YOU ALL!!!" and the last ones "tell him to suck my balls" :)) Ahh kids.

[StupidWiz]

It only shows that society (or maybe some people) still think that masculinity is much better than feminism. If a girl plays with lightsaber, toy gun, or toy cars, people just say "She's cool, she's gonna be a tough girl someday! yay~"

But when a boy plays with make up, pink barbies, dresses, people would say, "OMG that's just so gaaaaay, I pity his future." It's sad really, but still it's the truth.

[Poison Tree]

I tried to post this comment when the topic first started, but got an error and then couldn't find the topic again until now:

I think that adults can make too big a deal out of this type of thing. For example, last year my mother mentioned in passing something about a doll I owned as a child (I'm male). I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. So she started to describe it: "soft body, hard head, eyes opened and shut, curly hair, plaid shirt, white pants and suspenders". Finally it clicked in my head. I had never realized that it was a doll (and therefor a "girl's toy"). In my brain it was just another stuffed animal. I had a stuffed bear, a stuffed buffalo and a stuffed seal so it seemed perfectly natural that there should be a stuffed person.

Apparently I had been very insistent that I wanted her to buy that doll/stuffed human for me and I certainly remember dragging it around (by the hair) all the time. My mother, or some random meddler, *could* have thrown a fit about how it was a "girl's toy and letting me play with a doll would turn me into a sissy" and I would have had absolutely no idea what they were talking about and would have simply been confused and, likely, ashamed by the (hypothetical) incident.

That being said, many toys are successfully marketed to specific genders. My sister and I had different tastes in toys, as well as some agreement. I'd expect that, on average, boys would be significantly more likely to chose some toys, girls others and some toys would be widely chosen by both. Still, I must admit that the wall to wall pink in the "girl's toy ails" has gotten out of hand.

If I were in charge of what toys my (hypothetical) children got, price, safety, age and their interests would be far more important that "boy's" or "girl's" labels on the product. 

[Glitch]

Personally, I think it's totally cool to let boys play with a Barbie doll. Heck I'm livid at my boyfriends, half-brothers, mother, because I have him a furby because he really wanted one. What did she do? She destroyed it. In front of him. Because "Furbys are toys for girls".

If I ever have a son, I'll give him a furby, Barbie doll, and a freaking awesome RC car, maybe even GI Joe. Heck. Watch him come up with some weird adventure game thing involving GI Joe and his wife Barbie who go around in an RC Car chasing after Furbys.


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[PapaSmurf34]

People seem to forget that we are not just blank slates that learn everything from the culture we live in. It turns out that boys and girls are biologically different and on AVERAGE girls tend to share certain traits that boys don't and vice versa. Is any one really all that surprised that most young boys would rather play army than have a tea party and that a little girl might prefer a doll over a toy gun?

[Glitch]

Eh. I always was insanely jealous over boys toys and Legos. Girls toy, no joke, are some of the stupidest, most pointless things ever. They do not encourage anything aside from maybe.... Nope... Can't think of anything...

Legos on the other hand encourage building things and better hand eye coordination.


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