Forum Index
»
Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
My 4-yr old son obsessed w/girl stuff-IS IT NORMAL??
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
"My kids have completely bought into the gender stereotypes from an appearance standpoint. DS will only wear blue and refers to toys as boy toys or girls toys. DD constantly chooses pink and the more sparkle the better. I know this is from society driven influence and not biology. I don't really care as long as their clothes are weather appropriate. They way they play though is the complete opposite of the stereotype. DS is much more into fantasy play. He will play construction family. He sets up his mommy backhoe and his baby frontloader with his daddy dump truck. He has a bed full of lovey stuffed dinosaurs and animals. He plays some of the boys but he seems to play with the girls just as much. I've had comments from teachers who are surprised at how strong his social skills are for his age and being a boy." These are really interesting observations. I am one of the PPs whose son was really into girl stuff for a while (and I let him carry a purse  ). Both my daughters have liked cars, trucks, and spaceships as well as dolls, stuffed animals, and tu tus. But all of my kids have fit the stereotypes in terms of types of play. The girls made the little trucks talk to each other and they all had little car and truck families and threw vehicle parties. My son has been a lot more into crashing his cars into each other and throwing baby dolls around like balls. He would put on high heels and a princess dress and then try to shoot at you with a homemade gun. I love that kids can be so fluid in their expressions of gender. I wish more parents would allow them to experiment and give them the freedom to grow into the well-balanced people that they are trying to be when they play their creative little games. It makes me sad that so many adults feel threatened by kids who challenge gender expectations.
|
Anonymous
| OP: I think someone said it here: trying on adulthood. Without men around, that's a side he hasn't had much exposure to yet. This is normal - my son liked girl things, though not dresses. He had a babydoll and a bottle for it (he never did say if it was a boy or girl - the clothes were purple. But he would wear any color or clothes, preferably bright. My DS really disliked the next set of toys after the toddler toys because of the switch to scary creatures and dark colors. It took a long time for him to indicate any interest in "boy" things and when he finally did, it was for funny Ninja Turtles. You might want to provide "boy" toys also - playsets, castles etc. It sounds like he has a great imagination and that's what you should support. |
Anonymous
|
The really weird thing is that I am reading this thread and wondering what the hell wearing dresses, liking the color pink, and playing with dolls has to do with being gay. None...not a single one....of the gay guys that I know are particularly effeminate.
Is it normal for boys to play with dolls? Of course. Is it normal for boys to play dress up? Sure. Would I ever in a million years let my young son walk out of the house in a dress? Hell no. It's not about being gay. How many gay men do you see walking around in a dress? Honestly. It's about common sense. Why set a five year old up to be bullied? And if one of his friends sees him in the front yard in a pink dress, chances are he'll tease him about it at school the next day. Geesh folks...fight your own fights. Don't turn your kids into a "cause". |
Anonymous
I don't think anyone who has participated in this thread has let a kid go out in a dress. This seems to be a non issue here. |
Anonymous
This describes my 7 yo DS, too. Time will tell whether it is sister worship or an innate preference for feminine things. We just him be himself. |
Anonymous
a PP let their son go out with a purse and painted nails, etc. close enough. |