Anonymous wrote:You go to a preschool classmate’s house and they have a rack of dress up clothes -fireman, hats, but also skirts and princess dresses. They have a 4 year old boy and no other kids or family. Would you think this is strange for an only child to have a dress up space, and would you think it’s weird to specifically have princess dresses?

What if it's for the girls who visit for playdates?

Unpopular opinion but I’m not a fan of dress up clothes in general. Or even a lot of ultra-specific pretend play toys. Nothing to do with gender. I feel like they’re wasteful, consumerist, artificial, and take away from the imagination. Like do you really need to wear a complete firefighter or princess outfit to pretend you are one? The only valid exceptions IMO are Halloween, school plays, mom and dad’s clothes, and kitchen sets with food. But like, I can do without the ice cream shop storefront complete with ice cream man outfit and truck. A table and mom’s apron should suffice.

I'm a traditional person and I would think nothing of this. I would probably assume he had female cousins who handed it down.

Anonymous wrote:Not weird at all and very progressive thinking! I love that in Stanley’s School Benjamin dresses up as the princess!

It’s not progressive thinking, it’s a very small child. He’s simply playing. Stop with your agenda.

Anonymous wrote:You go to a preschool classmate’s house and they have a rack of dress up clothes -fireman, hats, but also skirts and princess dresses. They have a 4 year old boy and no other kids or family. Would you think this is strange for an only child to have a dress up space, and would you think it’s weird to specifically have princess dresses?

So you can only have a dress up space if you have more than one child? Princess dresses are fine for a boy and his male/female friends who come to play.

other kids visit

Not weird at all and very progressive thinking! I love that in Stanley’s School Benjamin dresses up as the princess!

Anonymous wrote:People do that these days - welcome to 2022. Get over it.

This has been going on far longer than now. I’m the one with a now 18yo DS who loved all kinds of dress up clothes when little.

I definitely wouldn’t, I think it’s nice to provide boys with options to play with both traditionally masculine and feminine things. We do that with our girls, so why not boys. If he decides not to dress up in princess clothes it’s his decision. It’s also kind of nice to have options for when friends or cousins come to play who might not be boys.

I would think it was weird if it was only princess dresses. Although the same could be said about parents who only give girls traditionally masculine toys (I.e are weirdly anti princess or anti- girls toys) I think both types of parents are not good. I know a lot of the anti-feminine parents. That’s seems to be more acceptable for some reasons but I think is equally wrong.

Where do you live, OP? In UMC DMV this would be not weird at all. However, other parts of the country would not be so accepting. My traditional family members would find this weird to “gross.” (I don’t agree with this at all. Just bought DS a bright pink raincoat because that’s the one he picked but my brothers with similar aged kids would have some thoughts on this.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you may be the parent of the 4 year old boy?

I wouldn't think it's strange, and if I was the kid's family, it would be fine with me if anyone who did think it was strange chose not to come over anymore.

Yes, guilty. My son loves sparkly “beautiful” things and he apparently loves trying on 10 beautiful skirts at a time at preschool. I think it’s cute but we live in a more, erm, traditional neighborhood and while I personally don’t care I also don’t want to rock the boat as a new resident or have him to a pariah at his new preschool. I have bought him bead sets and he makes jewelry which I also love.

This is a great way for your son to understand that you support his interests more than keeping up some sort of image. I have a DS and a DD and the have both spent plenty of time as firefighters and princesses (and so have their friends)

Not at all, but I guess I'm bias since I only have a 4 year old and 1 year old boy and we have a simiar dress up area - firefighter, pirate, dragon, but also a pink flowy fairy skirt, crown, wand, cape etc. I like to leave options open for my kids.

No not weird at all. Sounds like a good variety of dress up stuff for their own child and any friends they have over. What is weird about this?

I want to get this for my kid! Seems cool.

I don’t get why it would be unusual for little boys to also be attracted to glittery pretty dresses.