Little boys have plenty of time to figure out what other people think is okay for them to play. Perhaps one day my kids will realize that some games or toys are "girl-y" and decide they don't want to play that way any more. In the meantime, our playroom has a fair supply of dolls, a play kitchen, and dress-up clothes (including a few dresses).
On Friday I bought a doll house at a garage sale. The guy who carried it to my car asked the kids, "So, do you boys have some sisters at home?" I said in my most cheerful and confident voice, "Nope, no sisters! Just two boys at our house!" And he persisted, still, saying "Well, you'll have to get some Star Wars figures and paint some graffiti on the walls."
(Hmmm, graffiti? Was that some sort of indication of his perception of Black boys? I hate that I even have to wonder...)
When we came home, I put the doll house in the living room. Sparkle looked at it for about two seconds before asking, "Mama, can I go get my Playmobil people?" And then he played with the darn thing for about 30 minutes all by himself. (That was worth the $10 right there!) He had the Playmobile people eating dinner together, going on trips, and having long conversations about dump trucks and other construction equipment.
I love seeing this part of him. I feel like I am getting to know him better when I see what his imagination comes up with-- pet bears, cranky crocodiles, friends who go on adventures or cook with him, "bus-trains" built with blocks, cookies "with chocolate chips and sprinkles."
Maybe he won't play with a dollhouse forever, but I hope this lasts a long, long time.
That is a beautiful play house and BRAVO to you for getting it for your boys. Our boys play with "girl" stuff all of the time. And our girls play with "boy" stuff all of the time, too. I wish people wouldn't make such big deals about gender-appropriate toys. If a kid wants to play with it, why then it's certainly gender-appropriate!
The whole grafitti thing has me disturbed, too. Even if it *wasn't* about Black boys (which I highly doubt)...WHY would anyone think boys need to add grafitti to a toy for it to be OK? All boys are vandals?!
Posted by: sixletmama | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 10:50 PM
Thanks for your encouraging comment on our blog! It has been wonderful these past few weeks to share with friends and family about our upcoming adoption from South Africa.
And what a great playhouse you were able to find!
I love the toilet in the attic...that's a nice touch!
I would say that the main function of toys is to help kids develop their imaginations - and it would be silly to put ANY limits on a kid's imagination!
Posted by: klorentzon | Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 04:21 AM
That is one COOL wooden house! Definately worth the $10 and more! The guy sounded completely clueless ... poor shmuck. I hope your little guys love playing with it - almost any toy that holds a child's attention for 30 minutes is well WORTH it :)
Posted by: Sunny | Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 10:40 AM
You warmed my heart with this post.
Posted by: Nohe 5 | Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 05:32 PM
I love it! My kids (both sexes) have always played all sorts of different games together. No one at my house is a stranger to Barbies, Hot Wheels, Dress-up, GameCube, Magnetix, "House", Crafts, etc. Chores at our house aren't gender specific either. Equal opportunity, you know?! 8^)
Posted by: Blaine | Thursday, August 10, 2006 at 12:50 PM
Wendy: You're right! I didn't really think of it that way, but I should have. Boys don't need to be bad to have fun.
Katie, Sunny, Nohe5, and Blaine: Yeah, $10 is definitely worth it for the amount of time Sparkle has already spent playing with the dollhouse. Thanks for commenting!
Posted by: Amanda/Mayhem Mama | Thursday, August 10, 2006 at 01:14 PM
Yay! :) I'm so glad that the boys liked the new house! If I ever have babies, they will be raised the same way; toys are TOYS. Kids are meant to just have fun with them. I played with dump trucks and had a skateboard. *shrug* I also had dolls, and played with barbies. My parents were hippies and understood that toys are TOYS! :)
Posted by: Sarah | Saturday, August 12, 2006 at 02:36 PM
What a bargain, I would have snatched this dollhouse up too. Of course you know how I feel about supposed gender based toys. I bought Cody the kitchen set last week, and he really liked it.
I think the grafitti comment would have put me off a bit. I have a tendency to be a little sensitive. Grafetti = inner city = urban = black kids, etc. Of course, I did say I was sensitive.
Posted by: Leigh | Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 01:04 AM
I absolutely LOVE the play house for the boys - why should it have feminine overtones? It is a house for toys... that both sexes should be able to enjoy. It teaches children valuable social skills and lets them have FUN. Isn't that the main reason we buy things for our kids?
Posted by: Lainie | Saturday, August 19, 2006 at 09:50 PM