Dads- if you're son wants a baby doll....?

WeatherGirl8

Oh hey arguments!

Well, I'm going to pass on those, but just leave this 'cause I thought of it when I saw the title.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lshobg1Wt2M (William Wants a Doll- Free to be You and Me)

BondBomb

I had a friend as a kid, her parents wouldn't let her have a Ken doll. So when we played Barbies they were all lesbians. They married each other. Had babies together. I like to think it made us both more open-minded.

dmpizza

All children like to nurture and systematize, which is whyPokemon was so successful.
He is very young , so I don't think this is weird.
Get him a stuffed puppy and tell him it's a baby dog that needs his love.

Kenzietea2

He's a kid, it's probably a phase. Get him the doll.

gr8pillock

i fought tooth and nail when my daughter was tiny to raise her as unbiased as possible. I chose medium colors, rather than pink, cool toys, hard core stuff, skulls and crossbones, pirates, ninjas, Jackie Chan movies/cartoons. All of it. I wanted a tomboy, or at least not a princess...

Guess what.

I got a Princess. NOTHING I could have done would have stopped her from choosing pink, from wanting dolls, from princess dresses and makeup and nail polish. She's seven now and loves guns and Jackie Chan and karate class and Girl Scouts, and she's the coolest, most sarcastic and funny little girl ever, but she still LOVES her pink. She is going to be a gorgeous, high class, dressed to the nines kind of woman. And who am I to judge, deflect, or redirect that when it is WHO SHE IS!

This relates to parents who try to "Force" a son to be 'manly.' Real men take care of their children, hold and cuddle and love just as openly and lovingly as women, at least the good fathers I've known. That makes them better men, not less. As a baby boy, being told it is 'unmasculine,' 'unmanly,' or feminine to have a baby, or worse, that feminine is somehow a bad thing, is unebelievably blind.

Contrarian

I was a tomboy growing up. I wanted all the Star Wars action figures. Thank goodness my parents didn't buy them for me because I would have become a lesbian if they had.

I seriously dodged a bullet. Even though I had crushes on boys when I was 3 those toys would have turned me. I totally owe my parents a coke.

BondBomb

I feel a thread lock coming or even deletion .

Do you only let your daughters play with traditional girl toys?
Are they allowed to build with blocks or play with trucks? Toy guns? Tool sets?

We let them play with whatever. They have had tonka trucks, barbies, tinker toys, wood blocks, they have even helped me on the car.

so of course I know what is coming next.. ...the double standard. I would expect more from any son i had. I would be firmer with him as well.. that is just how it is.

So you are saying you find the influence of dolls more powerful that that of a toy truck? Or do you think the will of males is weaker?

No on both questions.

I just think boys should not be raised the say way as a girl.

That's too bad. Playing with dolls led my brother to become an incredibly gifted surgeon. He was always performing exams on the dolls. Good thing for his patients my parents were more open.

BigDnSW

OK, I'll confess. I grew up playing with dolls...GI Joe, little green army men, and a sock monkey (you have to be born in the 50's or 60' to know that)...I am bi...yes I am. We have both Mac and PC's in our office. How shameful of me. If I only would have burned that fuzzy sock monkey...

That's about how fadiculai the some of the gender biases in this thread are...

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

i fought tooth and nail when my daughter was tiny to raise her as unbiased as possible. I chose medium colors, rather than pink, cool toys, hard core stuff, skulls and crossbones, pirates, ninjas, Jackie Chan movies/cartoons. All of it. I wanted a tomboy, or at least not a princess...

Guess what.

I got a Princess. NOTHING I could have done would have stopped her from choosing pink, from wanting dolls, from princess dresses and makeup and nail polish. She's seven now and loves guns and Jackie Chan and karate class and Girl Scouts, and she's the coolest, most sarcastic and funny little girl ever, but she still LOVES her pink. She is going to be a gorgeous, high class, dressed to the nines kind of woman. And who am I to judge, deflect, or redirect that when it is WHO SHE IS!

This relates to parents who try to "Force" a son to be 'manly.' Real men take care of their children, hold and cuddle and love just as openly and lovingly as women, at least the good fathers I've known. That makes them better men, not less. As a baby boy, being told it is 'unmasculine,' 'unmanly,' or feminine to have a baby, or worse, that feminine is somehow a bad thing, is unebelievably blind.

I don't know you, but I love you.

phyllio77

This is how children learn to nurture and mimic being parents. A boy doll a girl doll...its just a doll. Merry Ho Ho!

gluestic14

I haven't read through all these comments so if I'm repeating someone I'm sorry, but what's the difference between a boy carrying around a baby doll and say something like a stuffed animal, like a little doggy or something. Or even a baby blanket. It's kind of the same thing, they are carrying around and caring for something in a nurturing way...I mean, maybe the baby blanket is a stretch but still...Am I making sense or am I way off? I don't have any children of my own (just a step daughter) so maybe I'm way off, but I feel like I would be ok with my son playing with whatever he wanted.

BondBomb

i fought tooth and nail when my daughter was tiny to raise her as unbiased as possible. I chose medium colors, rather than pink, cool toys, hard core stuff, skulls and crossbones, pirates, ninjas, Jackie Chan movies/cartoons. All of it. I wanted a tomboy, or at least not a princess...

Guess what.

I got a Princess. NOTHING I could have done would have stopped her from choosing pink, from wanting dolls, from princess dresses and makeup and nail polish. She's seven now and loves guns and Jackie Chan and karate class and Girl Scouts, and she's the coolest, most sarcastic and funny little girl ever, but she still LOVES her pink. She is going to be a gorgeous, high class, dressed to the nines kind of woman. And who am I to judge, deflect, or redirect that when it is WHO SHE IS!

This relates to parents who try to "Force" a son to be 'manly.' Real men take care of their children, hold and cuddle and love just as openly and lovingly as women, at least the good fathers I've known. That makes them better men, not less. As a baby boy, being told it is 'unmasculine,' 'unmanly,' or feminine to have a baby, or worse, that feminine is somehow a bad thing, is unebelievably blind.

Well said.

missym357

This relates to parents who try to "Force" a son to be 'manly.' Real men take care of their children, hold and cuddle and love just as openly and lovingly as women, at least the good fathers I've known. That makes them better men, not less. As a baby boy, being told it is 'unmasculine,' 'unmanly,' or feminine to have a baby, or worse, that feminine is somehow a bad thing, is unebelievably blind.

Yes!!! I completely agree!!

My husband had no problem with our sons playing with dolls. No big deal really. My oldest had one in preparation of his younger brother being born and my youngest had one to match when he was 2. Two year old boys have no sense of 'baby dolls are for girls' and if they did it would be because some adult pushed that on them.

We're not raising macho little a-holes. We're aiming to raise smart, good, thoughtful, strong men that don't have hangups and weren't forced to be anything other than the best of who and what they are. So far so good- and they don't appear to show any signs of being gay (they are 11 and 9 and total boys). If they did end up gay it would not be the end fo the world.

DLSlim

I don't believe in "girl" toys and "boy" toys. If your son wants a doll, he should have a doll. If he wants a kitchen set, find him a kitchen set (they even have blue/chrome ones). There is nothing wrong with it.

Brunner26_2

I feel a thread lock coming or even deletion .

Do you only let your daughters play with traditional girl toys?
Are they allowed to build with blocks or play with trucks? Toy guns? Tool sets?

We let them play with whatever. They have had tonka trucks, barbies, tinker toys, wood blocks, they have even helped me on the car.

so of course I know what is coming next.. ...the double standard. I would expect more from any son i had. I would be firmer with him as well.. that is just how it is.

But, what if your daughter grows up to be lesbian?! Oh noes!! (sarcasm)

That depends.... Is she hot?

trijoe

I have 3 daughters, no sons. So maybe my answer isn't worthy. Still:

My daughters are or have been into trains, dinosaurs, hockey, frogs, and dogs. They can't stand cheerleading. One's favorite color is pink, but the rest are into blue. They run 5K races (they're 10, 8, 8) and my oldest has a shirt that says, "Some girls chase boys. I pass them."

They're perfectly free to be the children they decide to be, no questions asked, nor any pressure to be different. My oldest can't stand boys, no matter how wonderful her friends tell her they are. Does this mean she'll never like boys? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. If it does, then so be it. She's still be warm and wonderful and beautiful and witty and thoughtful and caring and intelligent. Nothing, or nobody, will ever take those traits away from her.

So basically, who really gives a flying **** what a child plays with? Your child is who he/she is. Me personally? I'd rather celebrate my children for being who they are then criticize them for not being who I think they should be.

But that's just me.

gluestic14

i fought tooth and nail when my daughter was tiny to raise her as unbiased as possible. I chose medium colors, rather than pink, cool toys, hard core stuff, skulls and crossbones, pirates, ninjas, Jackie Chan movies/cartoons. All of it. I wanted a tomboy, or at least not a princess...

Guess what.

I got a Princess. NOTHING I could have done would have stopped her from choosing pink, from wanting dolls, from princess dresses and makeup and nail polish. She's seven now and loves guns and Jackie Chan and karate class and Girl Scouts, and she's the coolest, most sarcastic and funny little girl ever, but she still LOVES her pink. She is going to be a gorgeous, high class, dressed to the nines kind of woman. And who am I to judge, deflect, or redirect that when it is WHO SHE IS!

This relates to parents who try to "Force" a son to be 'manly.' Real men take care of their children, hold and cuddle and love just as openly and lovingly as women, at least the good fathers I've known. That makes them better men, not less. As a baby boy, being told it is 'unmasculine,' 'unmanly,' or feminine to have a baby, or worse, that feminine is somehow a bad thing, is unebelievably blind.

I don't know you, but I love you.

Me too!

Graelwyn75

i fought tooth and nail when my daughter was tiny to raise her as unbiased as possible. I chose medium colors, rather than pink, cool toys, hard core stuff, skulls and crossbones, pirates, ninjas, Jackie Chan movies/cartoons. All of it. I wanted a tomboy, or at least not a princess...

Guess what.

I got a Princess. NOTHING I could have done would have stopped her from choosing pink, from wanting dolls, from princess dresses and makeup and nail polish. She's seven now and loves guns and Jackie Chan and karate class and Girl Scouts, and she's the coolest, most sarcastic and funny little girl ever, but she still LOVES her pink. She is going to be a gorgeous, high class, dressed to the nines kind of woman. And who am I to judge, deflect, or redirect that when it is WHO SHE IS!

This relates to parents who try to "Force" a son to be 'manly.' Real men take care of their children, hold and cuddle and love just as openly and lovingly as women, at least the good fathers I've known. That makes them better men, not less. As a baby boy, being told it is 'unmasculine,' 'unmanly,' or feminine to have a baby, or worse, that feminine is somehow a bad thing, is unebelievably blind.

Wonderfully said.

DeborahBatewell

It's not a big deal. My son had a cabbage patch doll when he was little and his step-sister liked to play with trucks instead of dolls. My son is gay and his sister is a lesbian. The doll didn't cause him to be that way. Life is hard enough for kids today without stereotypes of what is acceptable because of their sex.

mbryant22

At that age, my son wanted one, too. My husband wasn't thrilled, but said as long as it was a "boy-ish" baby doll he was fine with it. I found one that was dressed in a blue/green outfit. My son loved that doll! He played with it for a couple of years! And he is 11 now and is fine!! haha!