I love to sit back and watch my Beans play, I love to see what toys they choose and how they are all so different from each other. Despite Hubby and I having a passion for cars, none of the Beans has been interested in toy cars. Little Bean is your typical girly girl, she loves her dolls, babies, pushchairs, Lego, dress-up, crafts and baking. Beanie Boy is your typical Superhero figures kind of boy, although to be honest he will play with figures of most genres, he just loves creating scenarios and playing them out which is pretty much what I used to do with my Barbie and Sindy dolls. In this respect Beanie Boy is very similar to Curly who also would (and still does) play with figures from morning until night. Beanie Boy is now also following in Curly and Little Bean’s footsteps with a love of Lego and gaming. Jelly Bean is different again though, he loves his wooden building blocks the best, he plays with them every single day but he also LOVES Little Bean’s doll pushchair and baby dolls. He will pick up the dolls and cradle them saying “awwwww” and then kisses them on the head. It never worries me that he plays with baby dolls and pushchairs because I see that it brings out his caring side, something I see every time we get together with friends who have new babies because he is very gentle with them and again says “awwwww” as he gently kisses them on the head.
I was watching him playing with the pushchair a few days ago when these pictures were taken and I took me back to when Little Bean was a baby. I had been chatting to a childminder who said that she had been out walking with the children in her care and one little boy had asked to take the dolls pushchair with him, she had said that it was ok. Later in the day she received a call from the boy’s mother to say that his dad had driven past and was disgusted to see his son pushing a doll’s pushchair down the road and whilst the Mum wasn’t too worried about it, the father had demanded that his son not be allowed to play with doll’s pushchairs in the future and most certainly wasn’t to bring them out in public.
I only really have two items that I don’t like my children to play with and that’s swords and guns because I don’t like toys which glorify or encourage violence but I honestly don’t see the issue with dolls and pushchairs? Surely they are just role playing what they have seen their parents do time and time again with themselves and siblings. Isn’t it good to nurture a child’s caring side and teach them compassion?
What are your thoughts, would you allow your son to play with a doll and pushchair? Are there particular toys that you do not like your children to play with?
I work in childcare and we once had a parent (again a male) put in a complaint because when he picked his son up from nursery he was playing with the dolls. He also called him gay in front of us all! This parent was also a parent who refused to let us get a speech therapist in for his son so it just goes to show it’s all about what it looks like to the outside world! I as a child loved playing cars and boys toys and I’d be more than happy to let my daughter do the same xx
It’s such a shame when parents care more about their ‘image’ than their child’s wellfare and enjoyment. At the end of the day a child is just playing with a toy because it’s a toy, not because it means they are gay, straight or otherwise. Thank you for commenting x