Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Reluctant to Stereotype
I had a daughter. (Well, DH & I had a daughter.) We gave her dolls and stuffed animals and girly stuff, and she seemed to like them. When she was five, she liked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Well and good. We got her many TMNT action figures. I don't know if she every really played with them or if she was exhibiting DH's collection mania. When uninformed people said that they were "boy's toys," she, and we, said she could play with whatever she liked, so long as it didn't result in even temporary damage to her (no roller blades!) or the house (no finger paints).
When she presented the world with our grandson, I had to adjust my thinking somewhat: he could have stuffed animals, but he also liked cars (toys and the movies), footballs and other "boy's toys."
So now, my grandson has a little sister. The first year, toys were easy: soft baby toys, books, balls, etc. But she's over 18 months now. I want to give her girly stuff like baby dolls or play kitchen stuff (can you say "stereotype?") Don't worry. Her parents already gave her a toy "computer," pink, like her Mommy's. But I don't want to make her fit into just a girl's mold. Do I get her cars and trucks? Her big brother already has a ton of those, and he'd likely take them away to play with them anyway. Do I give her girly stuff, and, as she grows, let her think that Grandma is limiting her?
So what do you think? Shall I just get her what I think she might like, figuring that she, like her mother, will request what interests her? Or should I try to mix it up, even picking something that doesn't "light my fire" as a gift?
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