“Dolls are for little girls, not toy soldiers” “You can get a mountain bike; dirt bikes are for boys.” Many children, including me, have heard phrases like this growing up.”So called boy toys” were off limits based on my father’s rules; luckily, my mother was more open-minded. I vowed that when I became a parent my child would be able to play with whatever toy he or she wants, regardless of what gender it is typically identified with.
Since before my soon-to-be-three year old was walking and talking, she developed a love for cars. So for her first Christmas, one of the gifts she received was a Vtech Go Go Smart Wheels race car set. Two years later, and she still loves playing with it. The cars can talk and sing little songs. She has a race car, taxi, fire engine and police car. The set is almost as tall as she is, and there’s even a pit stop to pretend to wash and repair cars and a fun loop that the cars can circle.
Though playing with toys is supposed to be fun, it’s a shame that even in 2016 some little girls are not permitted to play with cars or even dump trucks because they are considered “boy” toys, and some boys are not permitted to play with dolls or in the play kitchen area because they are considered toys for girls. I am, however, glad that both my husband and I agree that Quinn should be able to have fun playing with different toys regardless of the “target gender.” I love watching her explore the world without the constriction of fitting into the societal gender box. She’s got plenty of time for that struggle as she gets older, but my hope is that she will be prepared as a result of us not saying, this toy is “only” for boys. It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve always loved playing with cars too.
All the best,
Tanya
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is one of those cliché phrases people utter to soothe others or themselves when they are away from their loved ones. Even though there’s some validity to this phrase, it unfortunately is not soothing me as I cope with being away from my daughter throughout the course of this week. Shortly, I’ll be traveling a little over two hours away to Harrisburg, PA for a work-related function and will miss our daily bedtime routine of me hugging her, kissing her and telling her I love her and she doing the same to me. Then I’ll be traveling to the Washington, DC area this Thursday through Saturday and will not see her in person until Sunday. Thank goodness for FaceTime, Skype and Nest.
Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “Time flies?” It couldn’t be more true when it comes to children. One moment, I’m holding my newborn in my arms watching her coo, rocking her to sleep, and the next moment I’m watching her run and jump and listening to her tell me how much fun she had at the park. For the past few months, my husband and I have been prepping our daughter to no longer say that she’s two. When someone asks her how old she is, Quinn proudly responds, “I will be three on May 3rd!” Most recently, I’ve found that I too require some prepping as my daughter reaches three years old. There are so many more milestones she will reach, and more of “baby girl” will be left behind as she continues to discover the world, evolve and become more independent. Wow, it’s just thirty more days to go. We have a Mickey Mouse Countdown tool which only heightens the anticipation. In the words of my little girl, “It’ll be here before you know it!” I have a feeling that she’ll be excited and more than ready. I just hope that I will too.
