Should We Be Letting Boys Play with Dolls?
It’s not a fatal epidemic, but one which has parents worried. Is it okay if our boys play with dolls? The entire universe is at stake here people! Boys toys are for boys and girl toys are for girls, with never the two ever meeting. Look at many toy shops for example. You have distinct blue boy aisles with action figures and trucks, then pink aisle with dolls and household item toys for girls. Is society trying to shape our kids, or are we?
Can Boys Play with Dolls or Are They Just for Girls?
Society is changing, but at a slower rate than our kids are it seems. The general belief is that girls will wear makeup, clean the house and have babies, with boys will grow up tough, be the breadwinner and drive machinery. Yet boys have been interested in playing with so called girl toys for many years, including back to the time of our grandparent’s generation. The problem we are having is that many parents are frightened, thanks to society beliefs, that if we let our boys play with dolls, they’re not going to be real men.
Now I can understand that we all want the best for our children. But a doll? Seriously, it can do no harm. A boy can practice bathing, feeding and carrying his doll. He can put it to bed, buckle it up in the car and cuddle it at night to stop it feeling sad. After all, these are the things a great father does!
What Can Playing with a Doll Teach a Child?
Look around any great online toy shop in New Zealand and you will see plenty of dolls for sale. Yes, there are plenty of stereotypical pink clothed dolls with blond hair, but there are also Mermaid Dolls, Monster High Dolls and even an Equestrian Doll named Teagan. Dolls come in all shapes and sizes, just like our kids.
Both boys and girls who play with dolls learn plenty of wonderful skills including:
• Fine motor skills – simply dressing and undressing their doll helps little fingers learn new skills like using buttons, zips and fastenings
• Empathy – showing that they know what it feels like in certain situations, such as giving the doll a hug after they get hurt or are sad
• Understanding events – by acting out scenes which have happened at preschool or at home, our kids can help build their understanding about how the world works and their place in it
When it comes to buying a doll for a boy, some parents wait until their son has developed an interest in dolls before buying him one of his own. Others will buy him one without being asked. It really depends on your family’s beliefs and the activities your son enjoys doing. If he wants too, cool. If not, that’s cool too. Rather than being gender specific toys, dolls are unisex toys in my mind. Unfortunately, many toy manufacturers have yet to come around to the
Kidzstuffonline way of thinking! If you could help dispel the myth about gender specific toys by sharing this online, that would be fabulous!
