In my last post I talked about why my husband often fails to do basic housework tasks and why I end up doing much more than my biology dictates.
To give me a break from thinking about it, I decided to pop to my local supermarket and buy a toy or two for my little boy.
I am pretty skint at the moment, so the “pocket money toys” really appealed.
Imagine my surprise when for just three quid I found the perfect toy for him. He loves doing what the big people in his life do, just like all young children, and I saw a dustpan and brush set which firstly he would love and secondly it would stop him using the adult broom like a lance heading dangerously in the direction of the television.
Unfortunately, it was bright pink and in a box marked “the little princess playset”.
Now obviously, I bought it for him.
But I thought, how many Mums are actually going to buy these for their sons, no matter how much they might enjoy cleaning up like the grown ups? How many Mums are rather going to walk on by until they get to the cars and trucks and other “boy” toys?
I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with cars and trucks. My little boy is also obsessed with pickup trucks and will not let me on the computer for very long before he comes up to me and informs me in no uncertain he wants to look at pictures of pickup trucks.
But when they’re the only type of toys we buy for boys, they miss out on essential role play (which children love) and also they’re told their role is to sit around and play while the women work. That housework is only fun if you’re a girl. And it looks like often this pattern continues into adulthood.
March 10, 2009 at 12:48 pm
The notion that a ‘princess’ would tidy up after herself, and clean in general too.. It’s somewhat strange.
March 11, 2009 at 3:09 am
What is with that anyway? The whole “paint it pink and put the word ‘Princess’ on it” thing?
I used to shun name brands. Now I shun name brands *and* anything that involves Princesses (Disney or otherwise).
L
March 15, 2009 at 3:38 am
Where is the “warrior” dustpan to go along with it? I think men can be manly and do the housework too! My little guy wrestles the vacuum away from my husband and insists on doing it himself and he is my little helper at mealtime, setting the table and putting out the condiments.
March 22, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Argh. No wonder the kids aren’t alright.
March 23, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Little boys who play with dolls grow up to be good daddies. Little boys who play with brooms grow up to help out their partners. I think boys AND girls should be offered both girl and boy toys…because toys are toys, regardless of a child’s sex.
April 20, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Oh I despair, I really do. We haven’t even told people the sex of our baby (expected in June) because we don’t want all that pink or blue crap rammed down our throats. It’s a baby! It doesn’t care if its babygro has a tiger or a car or a ballerina or a flippin’ lampshade on it… it’s still going to throw up and dribble all over it. I have refused to buy anything gendered yet and have told people in no uncertain terms that if *they* do once the baby is born then those items will be returned to the shop.
It’s one of my biggest pet peeves and I applaud you for buying the toy you did.
April 21, 2009 at 11:40 am
Some of the ELC stuff is not too bad – there is plenty of pink, but many of the “housework” toys are in neutral blue and green. (My daughter has a toy iron, which she loves. She’s mad on ironing. I have no idea where she gets it from.)
I do agree though that the gendering of toys, even for very young children, is overpowering. I remember going into Woolies, when it still existed, and being gobsmacked by the aisles of pink sparkly type stuff on the one hand and khaki/camouflage type stuff on the other. I find it interesting that even nowadays, when most people will at least pay lip service to women being able to do traditionally “men’s” tasks etc and vice versa, that this all goes out of the window when it comes to the marketing of toys.
My son had cookers, dolls, tractors and footballs, as does my 2-year-old daughter (though she definitely does show a preference for the more traditionally girlie toys, especially her doll “babies”, but I guess that’s a whole other topic!).