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I personally object to the overt gender specific toys as it is determined by the marketing companies, and not the children themselves. I feel many children miss out on experiencing a variety of toys as they are so strongly influenced by advertizing and packaging geared towards specific genders. It has taken many years for me to get the message across to my own children that the packaging means little, it's the enjoyment of the toy that is important.
I think this is a non-issue as far as the toys themselves. Parents are the ones who guide children and they are the ones who perpetuate what is gender specific or gender exclusive - or gender inappropriate.
The toys are not the problem. If a little boy wants a baby doll and his father goes bonkers b/c he feels this is effeminate and not appropriate for a male child - then it really doesn't matter if the baby is "neutral" or a baby boy doll or baby girl doll, lol.
I think this is a non-issue as far as the toys themselves. Parents are the ones who guide children and they are the ones who perpetuate what is gender specific or gender exclusive - or gender inappropriate.
The toys are not the problem. If a little boy wants a baby doll and his father goes bonkers b/c he feels this is effeminate and not appropriate for a male child - then it really doesn't matter if the baby is "neutral" or a baby boy doll or baby girl doll, lol.
I don't entirely agree. The packaging and the advertising is very gender-specific for a lot of toys. The parents can do their best to counteract that, but won't always be successful, assuming they even want to.
Over the holidays i dug out a box of of toys that contained some wooden puzzles from about 30-40 years ago. The girl puzzle had baby carriage, an armoire full of clothes, and an iron! At least we've made progress from that!
I like to buy all the cute pink and puple stuffed animals and rattles for my DD. But she has a TON of gender neutral and even "boy" toys that were given as hand me downs. Shes so young it doesnt bother me but as she gets older I will make sure that along with her dollies and tea set she has monster trucks and action figures.
Forgot to add.....I dont know if I would be comfortable with my son, or my step son playing with barbies and girl stuff. If he were playing with his sisters toys that wouldnt bother me but if he out right asks "could you buy me barbies for my birthday?" I would say no.
Forgot to add.....I dont know if I would be comfortable with my son, or my step son playing with barbies and girl stuff. If he were playing with his sisters toys that wouldnt bother me but if he out right asks "could you buy me barbies for my birthday?" I would say no.
I honestly couldnt tell you why. It's kind of like in the thread about the little boy asking for the doll and carriage. It's just strange. i guess if he REALLY wanted them what could I do? I would get them. But I wouldnt introduce them to him without him asking first.
I personally object to the overt gender specific toys as it is determined by the marketing companies, and not the children themselves.
I am not sure that that is the case. I think the toy companies buy what sells. It would be cheaper and more effective to market things the way things naturally are than to make the kids into something else. Not to say that there aren't exceptions.
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I feel many children miss out on experiencing a variety of toys as they are so strongly influenced by advertizing and packaging geared towards specific genders. It has taken many years for me to get the message across to my own children that the packaging means little, it's the enjoyment of the toy that is important.
I thought that too. I have two very gender stereotypical kids. My son's toy kitchen was never touched. My daughter's blocks and nerf toys were never touched.
That said, I am all for minimizing exposure to advertising.
Over the holidays i dug out a box of of toys that contained some wooden puzzles from about 30-40 years ago. The girl puzzle had baby carriage, an armoire full of clothes, and an iron! At least we've made progress from that!
I'm not so sure. The themes may have changed, but the stereotypes are still there.
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Originally Posted by somebodynew
I thought that too. I have two very gender stereotypical kids. My son's toy kitchen was never touched. My daughter's blocks and nerf toys were never touched.
I agree that society has socialized children to engage in gender-specific play, and that is to be accepted to a degree. But it goes beyond that when camping gadgets, puzzles, and science related toys are gender-oriented, don't you think?
We have an "issue", if you can call it that, with Thomas stuff for our daughter. She loves everything Thomas, and we have a whole bunch of Thomas clothes, icluding underwear, that are boys.
Now I don't mind her wearing boys' stuff at all, but it would be nice if they realized that girls like Thomas too, and would make a small line of Thomas specific clothes for girls.
As for the other stuff, she doesn't mind that tools and whatnot are packaged for boys, but if she was a boy and into Barbie, I can see that might be a different story, as far as adults feeling comfortable buying it at least.
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