Guest guest Posted November 17, 2001 Report Share Posted November 17, 2001 Caro wrote: > Does it drive anybody else mad the way toys (and clothes) are so > strongly stereotyped these days? (on the high street, anyway) I > have no problems with my children playing with gender specific toys > but also want to be able to find lots and lots of neutral type of toys > (OK there are lots!) but also lots of other colours to wear. I think there is nothing wrong with boys playing with dolls but MIL and DS3's godfather would have a fit if they saw Isaac doing so. He played lovely at a friends last week with her 3 year old daughter putting the babies in the buggy and pushing them about. Makes a lovely change from AM killing DR X. DS1 would also play for hours with a doll but only at Grandma's where nobody else could see him (ie DS2 who would tease him). Trisha SAHM to 3 boys Jack 8, 6 and Isaac 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 17, 2001 Report Share Posted November 17, 2001 Does it drive anybody else mad the way toys (and clothes) are so strongly stereotyped these days? (on the high street, anyway) I have no problems with my children playing with gender specific toys but also want to be able to find lots and lots of neutral type of toys (OK there are lots!) but also lots of other colours to wear. Caro, hoping to start off lots of lively debate.... SAHM to Livi (13) Toby (4), menagerie, DH is branch secretary, I'm newsletter editor/gen enquiries/ trying to decide whether to train for ANT/BFC Surrey/Sussex border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 17, 2001 Report Share Posted November 17, 2001 > Does it drive anybody else mad the way toys (and clothes) are so > strongly stereotyped these days? (on the high street, anyway) I > have no problems with my children playing with gender specific toys > but also want to be able to find lots and lots of neutral type of toys > (OK there are lots!) but also lots of other colours to wear. > > Caro, hoping to start off lots of lively debate.... Oh this " give a girl a toy car and a boy a doll " debate? I have found it doesn't work. Girls will be girls, and boys will be boys, and girls will tuck their toy cars up in a pram, and boys will play action man with their dolls. If you don't give boys weapons to play with (and we didn't) they'll make some from lego. Ruthie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 17, 2001 Report Share Posted November 17, 2001 Totally agree here. After 2 boys, our toys and clothes were all targeted at boys. When dd came along, she only ever wanted to play with the few girlie toys we ended up with, and all her clothes *have* to be pink or purple. Even dd2, who doesn't seem as girlie (she climbs and wrecks things like a boy) still only wants to wear girls' clothes and play with girlie toys. I can honestly say that we did not encourage sex stereotypes - they really did come naturally. Joyce -----Original Message----- From: ruthie@... [sMTP:ruthie@...] Oh this " give a girl a toy car and a boy a doll " debate? I have found it doesn't work. Girls will be girls, and boys will be boys, and girls will tuck their toy cars up in a pram, and boys will play action man with their dolls. If you don't give boys weapons to play with (and we didn't) they'll make some from lego. Ruthie *** NCT enquiry line - 0 *** Live chat http://www.yahoogroups.com/chat/nct-coffee Have you found out about all the other groups for the NCT online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2001 Report Share Posted November 18, 2001 You’re all stiffening my resolve to get Calvin a doll for Christmas. He already has a tea set ( a few bits and bobs from a car boot sale) and he really likes it - especially to dump water in the bathtub. And I agree that the clothes (here and in the US) all seem to be ‘boy’ or ‘girl’. If this new baby is a girl, she’s going to be wearing a lot of blue stuff. Maybe she’ll get my blue eyes... And on to knowing the gender, I certainly don’t mind knowing, but won’t stress out if it can’t be seen. It goes both ways in the US, too - I remember some people on my Jan00 bulletin board who paid for a private scan after the official ones just so they could try to see if it was a boy or girl. Others were averting their gaze when the baby was doing splits and pointing. Phyllis __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2001 Report Share Posted November 18, 2001 .. Others were averting their gaze when the baby was > doing splits and pointing. > > Phyllis > LOL Phyllis! Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2001 Report Share Posted November 18, 2001 My two DDs wear a lot of blue (both have Daddy's big blue eyes) when I can wrestle them away from the pink and purple!!! Francesca > Phyllis wrote If this new baby is a girl, she's going to be wearing a lot of blue stuff. Maybe she'll get my blue eyes... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2001 Report Share Posted November 18, 2001 >Youre all stiffening my resolve to get Calvin a doll for >Christmas. My nephew requested a Barbie for the Xmas before his mum was expecting her second child - the Barbie which has a pushchair and baby (?Shelley?). He probably won't thank me for telling people this now - he's 11 and his sister is almost five and he tells everyone it's hers! He wanted a family to play with though, with Barbie, two Action Men and the baby driving round in Action Man's Jeep. -- Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2001 Report Share Posted November 18, 2001 Did anyone see photos of the doll for sale in Japan atm? It's a Barbie-type model of a pregnant woman, supposedly in honour of the Japanese Crown Princess xxxx who is about to deliver the first royal baby for 30 years. Apparently, anyone who purchases the doll will receive the matching baby in the post two weeks later!!!! Lesley SAHM to four Chair, Deeside NCT ----------- From: " Sue > > My nephew requested a Barbie for the Xmas before his mum was expecting > her second child - the Barbie which has a pushchair and baby > (?Shelley?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2001 Report Share Posted November 18, 2001 > Did anyone see photos of the doll for sale in Japan atm? It's a Barbie-type > model of a pregnant woman, supposedly in honour of the Japanese Crown > Princess xxxx who is about to deliver the first royal baby for 30 years. > Apparently, anyone who purchases the doll will receive the matching baby in > the post two weeks later!!!! > > > Lesley > SAHM to four Yes I did see that picture, and read the article about the baby frenzy in Japan at the moment. Apparently she was pregnant once before and the media blame themselves for her miscarriage as they literally followed her to each antenatal visit in a helicopter!! This current media frenzy is what they call " leaving her alone!! " Ruthie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2001 Report Share Posted November 19, 2001 Phyllis - the big Boots at Kew used to do a nice boy doll which had the gt advantage for toddlers of being soft bodied - and/or I still have the one DS had, very little played with, if you would like it? Caro can't quite remember how old Calvin is, not very old I think? > You're all stiffening my resolve to get Calvin a doll for > Christmas. He already has a tea set ( a few bits and bobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2001 Report Share Posted November 19, 2001 Caro, That would be great! Name your price and I'll send a commission to the NCT for the virtual NNS Phyllis > and/or >I still >have the one DS had, very little played with, if you would >like it? >Caro can't quite remember how old Calvin is, not very old I >think? > You're all stiffening my resolve to get Calvin a doll for > Christmas. He already has a tea set ( a few bits and bobs __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2001 Report Share Posted November 20, 2001 Gender toys & clothes > Does it drive anybody else mad the way toys (and clothes) are so > strongly stereotyped these days? > but also lots of other colours to wear. YES, Sorry to shout, but DD1 has sort of indecisive light ginger hair (what polite people call strawberry blonde). Really bright bold fuchsia pink, orange and deep purple are fine, all shades of green and blue are ok and so is red. But Barbie pink, strange shades of rose and raspberry and esp. pale violet look awful! What have the cloth shops been full of for the last two years. DD2 (more brunette) looks great in the present fashion (and is in pink and violet from the last NNS as I type), But of course her hand me down fleece is red and DD1's green trousers are uncleanably crawled in :-( Sue Hutchinson, Mum to 30/01/98 and Isobel (HB) 23/02/01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2001 Report Share Posted November 20, 2001 My mum the child psychiatrist was very determined her first two kids should be gender " free " (they were a girl and a boy) that she insisted they got non-typical presents. It didn't work at all though... he still chose the cars and she still chose the dolls - but at least they had a choice. I'm trying to do the same with my kids, and DS has inherited all DDs toys so has both types, but he still chooses to play with buses and fire alarms - and he is much more " physical " , wants to playfight etc. What have I done wrong!! Karina > Whats wrong with your son having a doll? How can we expect men to grow up > and be good fathers if we never give them the chance to learn how to nurture, > like girls do with dolls? Socialisation is a horrible thing, I dont think > there should be boys and girls toys, they should play with whatever they > want, without parents predudice. My stepson has a cooking set, and a doll > becasue that was what he wanted. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2001 Report Share Posted November 20, 2001 Which reminds me: I've always got " sensible " colours for major items like jackets, fleeces etc - don't really like pink at all, and thought if a boy should inherit them it'd make more sense w neutral colours like red, orange, and navy. But we've inherited some things from my big sister which are ALL pink. It's quite incredible - my niece must have had only pink clothes, light pink, dark pink, purple pink, you name it but pink it is. It doesn't help that they are all 10 years old, so have that college sweater cut. Apart from a few frilly white blouses. Anyway - there are a few very useful snowsuits and autumn jackets - casual wear really, but good for an (English) winter day. So Dylon comes to mind, but will they come out OK?. It's mostly cotton, which dyes well I think, but what can be certain to camouflage the pink? Strong red or navy perhaps? Bit worried about green and orange, might turn out quite awful, and black is a bit heavy on kids I find. There's also a baby pink snow suit which looked quite cute on DD, but less so on DS (or is that just my prejudice ;-)) but it's got a pink zip and a white rim around the hood. And taking all that off before I dye it is starting to look like hard work... hmmm. Karina But Barbie pink, strange shades of rose and raspberry and esp. pale > violet look awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2001 Report Share Posted November 20, 2001 > My mum the child psychiatrist was very determined her first two kids > should be gender " free " (they were a girl and a boy) that she > insisted they got non-typical presents. > > It didn't work at all though... he still chose the cars and she still > chose the dolls - but at least they had a choice. > > I'm trying to do the same with my kids, and DS has inherited all DDs > toys so has both types, but he still chooses to play with buses and > fire alarms - and he is much more " physical " , wants to playfight etc. > What have I done wrong!! > > Karina Well exactly. Having had a mixed sex family, both types of toys were freely available and I never guided my kids in either direction of toy. I certainly didn't slap the boys' wrists for choosing the cars and weapon type toys, or the girls for wanting to play with Barbies. Left entirely to their own devices that's what they chose. Ruthie (mum to 5 girls and 3 boys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 21, 2001 Report Share Posted November 21, 2001 I have two DDs and again have tried not to have too many pink fluffy things, dollies etc in the house. DD1 is very pink and fluffy but DD2 seems to prefer cars, fire engines. That said however she does give them cuddles and take them for a ride in the pram!!!!! Francesca My mum the child psychiatrist was very determined her first two kids should be gender " free " (they were a girl and a boy) that she insisted they got non-typical presents. > > It didn't work at all though... he still chose the cars and she still chose the dolls - but at least they had a choice. > > I'm trying to do the same with my kids, and DS has inherited all DDs toys so has both types, but he still chooses to play with buses and fire alarms - and he is much more " physical " , wants to playfight etc. > What have I done wrong!! > > Karina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 21, 2001 Report Share Posted November 21, 2001 > >Anton Mosimann etc!! > Met him when I took part in a cookery competition - lovely man - I have as well - he was a dad at my little sister's primary school so he did a cookery presentation for the PTA - as you could imagine it was the most successful event they've ever held! Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 21, 2001 Report Share Posted November 21, 2001 DD1 is very pink and fluffy but DD2 > seems to prefer cars, fire engines. > Francesca Similar here - francesca, we gave DD1 neutral clothes, TTTE videos, etc, ( OK the occasional party dress!) but she turned out pink and fluffy, very girly, into clothes, '`s Secrets' magazines with free make up, etc at 10. DD2 - had DD1`s hand me downs, & due to living in the same house as DD1, was exposed to pink & fluffy & Barbie from age zero - especially as we weren`t planning on a DS, so we could go the whole hog and go Girly. However she has turned out camouflage green - a real tomboy! Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 Karina, Its not just the toys you give them that socialises boys to want to be playful, and girls to want dolls, and make up etc, its mostly the fault of advertising, tv, school and how they interact with friends. Both me and my brother were brought up to respect otherpeople and have no predudices, but my brother still says things like " Im going down the paki shop to get ... " which I find highly offensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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