Do you let your sons play with dolls?
I was so happy to walk into day care and see one of my 3-year-old son’s male classmates in an apron during dress-up time. As I surveyed the room, I noticed a bunch of the boys were wearing similar items. My son went straight for the bucket of baby dolls, and he wasn’t alone.
It was refreshing that the teachers let the boys play with what they want, even if the things they choose are typically labeled as girl toys.
Masculinity oftentimes excludes things like playing with babies, cooking and cleaning. But I think it’s time we challenge those notions. Why should a boy be discouraged from playing with dolls? Just from watching the toddler boys gravitate to the “girly” cooking toys and baby dolls makes it clear that they have the same interest in those types of activities as girls do. And if they’re allowed to experiment with them as kids, perhaps they will continue to show an interest in those activities as adults.
I came across an interesting article about a mom who bought her son a play kitchen. She said her husband cooks, and her son wants to be like daddy. She said people teased her about buying such a “girly” toy for her son, but I applaud her for not trying to mold her son into what mainstream culture says he should be. Read the article here.
The same should go for girls. I’m having my baby girl in two months, and I plan to let her play with whichever of my son’s toys she wants. Why not let her explore all that’s out there? She may not even like his trucks, but she’ll have the chance to find out for herself.
Do you let your sons play with girl toys and vice-versa? Do you think it’s healthy or harmful?
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