| Since the conception of children's toys the existence | | | | to wear suits and go off to work each day to bring |
| of gender roles has been prominent. Boys should get | | | | home the bacon for the family. As times have |
| trucks and cars and girls should get dolls and | | | | changed these are no longer the "norms" of society |
| tea-sets, however, one is forced to look at this belief | | | | however, we still push on to our children the |
| with a little more criticism in the more modern times | | | | repercussions of not sticking to those norms. Are we |
| of today. What is the major issue with a boy who | | | | really afraid of our children becoming less than the |
| likes to play with dolls or the girl who likes to play | | | | gender roles we were expected to be? |
| with cars? Perhaps not so much for the girl who | | | | The unfortunate aspect of the fact that we push |
| plays with cars but for the boy who likes to play | | | | such expectations on our children is that we are not |
| with dolls he is pigeonholed as being a homosexual | | | | allowing them the freedom to be who they want to |
| child...but who makes these rules? Who decides that | | | | and perhaps were destined be. We are pushing on to |
| boys should not be allowed to play with dolls? The | | | | them the expectation that they should at least be A |
| truth of the matter is that we, as a society do. | | | | and not B which in essence shapes them to pursue |
| There are no repercussions that come with a boy | | | | certain paths in life instead of allowing them the |
| who plays with dolls, other than the social isolation | | | | tabula rasa that all children really should be permitted. |
| that is forced upon him by society. A boy that plays | | | | It is not the fault of the toys nor the children; |
| with dolls and a girl that plays with cars and trucks | | | | however, it is the fault of society as a whole for |
| are nothing more than children exploring toys; they | | | | shaping us to be such a judgmental race when faced |
| are not yet old enough to understand the cubbyholes | | | | with people and ideas that do not fit the "norm" of |
| and labels we like to force on to each other as a | | | | hundreds of years ago. |
| society. For some unexplained reason it is believed | | | | So how do we rid ourselves of this self imposed |
| that the mere action of playing with a set of toys | | | | cubby-holing that is stunting the emotional growth |
| one will become more or less masculine or feminine | | | | and general accepting nature of our world's future |
| when this is simply untrue. | | | | generation? Give your son a Barbie or two and let |
| There was a time in our history as a race that being | | | | your daughter play with a monster truck or wrestling |
| increasingly masculine or feminine was the norm, little | | | | figure once in a while, it's not going to kill them and |
| girls were expected to wear only frilly dresses and | | | | nor is it going to make them something less than |
| stay at home in the kitchen (a la "barefoot and | | | | what they already are: innocent children with a brand |
| pregnant" stereotype), and little boys were expected | | | | new slate ready for writing. |