Here you are, son, a Barbie doll...
Discussion
'Er indoors was last night informing me of a most peculiar trait amongst some of the seemingly Islington-spec parents with whom communication arises following sprogular activity.
At least two families are well advanced down the road of total male offspring emasculation.
To wit, one 4 year old lad, already proud custodian of a doll's house, kitchen and hoover, was recently presented with amongst other effete items, a DVD of Cinderalla.
Similarly, another mob have made it formally known that toy armaments of any description are fundamentally outlawed for young Mincerillo as it seems, are any conventional physical or psychological associations with contact activities generally or movement beyond some well defined modes of frankly, prissy whimpishness.
It seems that what I had presumed to be an unlikely manifestation of stilted, unthinking political correction, normally the preserve of Question Time audiences and hypocritical, media luvvies, has found it's way across not just socio-economic but now geographical boundaries and is infecting broad swathes of overpaid, societally molly coddled, brittle brained imbecile.
What the hell are we doing in this damn country?
At least two families are well advanced down the road of total male offspring emasculation.
To wit, one 4 year old lad, already proud custodian of a doll's house, kitchen and hoover, was recently presented with amongst other effete items, a DVD of Cinderalla.
Similarly, another mob have made it formally known that toy armaments of any description are fundamentally outlawed for young Mincerillo as it seems, are any conventional physical or psychological associations with contact activities generally or movement beyond some well defined modes of frankly, prissy whimpishness.
It seems that what I had presumed to be an unlikely manifestation of stilted, unthinking political correction, normally the preserve of Question Time audiences and hypocritical, media luvvies, has found it's way across not just socio-economic but now geographical boundaries and is infecting broad swathes of overpaid, societally molly coddled, brittle brained imbecile.
What the hell are we doing in this damn country?
Have you considered the thought that the child actually wanted these things? A friend of my wife had exactly the same issue with her son from about 3 until about 4 1/2. He wanted to play with all of the "girly" toys and even had a doll or two.... As much as they tried to introduce "boys toys", he just ignored them and ended up making stories and role-playing with anything that came to hand.
In the end they gave up and bought a few things for him - he played with them for a few years and now has moved on. He has a bike, action man and plenty of cars.... its just a phase and in the end has aided in his development by allowing him to role-play (role-play is critical to a childs development by the way). Child development is a complex issue - do you prevent your child from enjoying toys which are seen as the other sex, or do you support and assist your child in its development?
Personally, I want to be there for mine and I will do what I can to love, support and help them - I am definately not a hands-off parent. If that means my son wanting to play with the odd doll (difficult in my house as I have a 1 1/2 year old daughter) then fine....
Interestingly though, both my son and daughter are showing a liking for Rugby and Motor sports - so it swings both ways....
In the end they gave up and bought a few things for him - he played with them for a few years and now has moved on. He has a bike, action man and plenty of cars.... its just a phase and in the end has aided in his development by allowing him to role-play (role-play is critical to a childs development by the way). Child development is a complex issue - do you prevent your child from enjoying toys which are seen as the other sex, or do you support and assist your child in its development?
Personally, I want to be there for mine and I will do what I can to love, support and help them - I am definately not a hands-off parent. If that means my son wanting to play with the odd doll (difficult in my house as I have a 1 1/2 year old daughter) then fine....
Interestingly though, both my son and daughter are showing a liking for Rugby and Motor sports - so it swings both ways....
It's definitely not natural
But maybe a boy's natural urges will triumph. I remember reading about an experiment where they gave the boys dolls to play with and the girls cars and what not and soon the boys were pretending the dolls were guns and shooting each other and the girls where pretending the toys they had were babies.
But maybe a boy's natural urges will triumph. I remember reading about an experiment where they gave the boys dolls to play with and the girls cars and what not and soon the boys were pretending the dolls were guns and shooting each other and the girls where pretending the toys they had were babies.
An absolutely disgraceful situation. Let's let kids be kids and pay with what they want to.
Not having any spogs of my own I take great delight making my nieces and godchildren happy.
My godson gets all the blokey things because that is what he likes playing with. He's been into tractors and farms for a couple of years now. I discovered the Britains stuff and it's just brilliant, so he's now got quite a collection from me
This Xmas now he's got a little bigger he's getting his first rugby ball and I'm presently toying with the mini MP5 I have left over from a drunken office shoot out
Chris
Not having any spogs of my own I take great delight making my nieces and godchildren happy.
My godson gets all the blokey things because that is what he likes playing with. He's been into tractors and farms for a couple of years now. I discovered the Britains stuff and it's just brilliant, so he's now got quite a collection from me
This Xmas now he's got a little bigger he's getting his first rugby ball and I'm presently toying with the mini MP5 I have left over from a drunken office shoot out
Chris
off_again said:
(role-play is critical to a childs development by the way).
I roll played with my action man along with his armoured car and tow along anti aircraft gun that used to fire plastic and rubber rounds.
My mum used to make clothes for him, like a desert rats outfit and various army gear but never a tutu.
derestrictor said:
The very odd thing about both cases centres upon the attitude of the parents themselves: a variation on the theme first visited in 'The Modern Parents' (Viz), these people seem to be proactively supporting emasculation per se.
Er, why?
Didn't you know that all of the world's problems are caused by testosterone full males Derestrictor?
The only aspect I agree with is not providing toy guns. I *was* given them as a lad.
Then I had the real thing. (Air guns)
My father was very, very clear on the difference between the two. I am a country lad and therefore "grew up" with guns and gun safety. I shudder to think what could happen, though, if a misunderstanding develops. It would be better, I think, to simply never bother with the toys...and build an understanding from the very beginning of the dreadful seriousness with which firearms and their usage must be approached.
Then I had the real thing. (Air guns)
My father was very, very clear on the difference between the two. I am a country lad and therefore "grew up" with guns and gun safety. I shudder to think what could happen, though, if a misunderstanding develops. It would be better, I think, to simply never bother with the toys...and build an understanding from the very beginning of the dreadful seriousness with which firearms and their usage must be approached.
As a lad I remember borrowing my sister's Barbie...... Don said:
The only aspect I agree with is not providing toy guns. I *was* given them as a lad.
Then I had the real thing. (Air guns)
My father was very, very clear on the difference between the two. I am a country lad and therefore "grew up" with guns and gun safety. I shudder to think what could happen, though, if a misunderstanding develops. It would be better, I think, to simply never bother with the toys...and build an understanding from the very beginning of the dreadful seriousness with which firearms and their usage must be approached.
Sorry Don, totally disagree.
I used to absolutely love playing Vermacht Assualt with any bit of weaponary I could lay my hands on and I've not killed anyone to date.
The sense of instinctive annexation is very much part of the British character and it's dilution at the hands of several generations of eco weening hippies has directly created the rudderless state vessel currently languishing towards it's blind demise against the rocks of european surrender.
Hurrah!
First child = daughter. Thoroughly spoilt by mum and grandparents and thus had every girly toy imaginable! No problems - seems to be growing up into decent kid......so far....
Second child = boy. Had opportunity to play with all of daughter's toys - never remotely interested. Always wanted cars/trains/guns/football....and without any encouragement (no really!) from father.
We have definitely not tried to influence either in any direction and they've just developed in their own way.
Second child = boy. Had opportunity to play with all of daughter's toys - never remotely interested. Always wanted cars/trains/guns/football....and without any encouragement (no really!) from father.
We have definitely not tried to influence either in any direction and they've just developed in their own way.
Jaglover said:
It's definitely not natural
But maybe a boy's natural urges will triumph. I remember reading about an experiment where they gave the boys dolls to play with and the girls cars and what not and soon the boys were pretending the dolls were guns and shooting each other and the girls where pretending the toys they had were babies.
My mum was a lecturer in childcare and I remember that study. The boys just made the dolls fight each other then used them as guns and swords to hit it other and the girls would dress up and baby the toy soldiers and action men they had
. Basically boys are programmed (to an extent, some is conditioning) to be boys and girls to be girls, but sometimes you get girls with more male sided brains and boys with more female sided brains, doesn't necessarily make them homosexual but more likely to prefer those activites of the opposite sex. derestrictor said:
The sense of instinctive annexation is very much part of the British character and it's dilution at the hands of several generations of eco weening hippies has directly created the rudderless state vessel currently languishing towards it's blind demise against the rocks of european surrender.
Hurrah!
In today's comfortable modern world it is fashionable to decry the traditional male qualities and celebrate the more caring and sharing feminine ones.
But I ask you this on what qualities are our current security and prosperity based?
s Simon.Nature v nurture. Funny thing, I knew a child who like playing with dolls as a 3 and 4 year old. We always gave his much older brother a bit of stick about it. A buddy of mine married his sister, and I asked how the wee one turned out. Yep he's gay. Dunno whether the dolls did it or he was headed that way from birth...
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