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Behaviour/development

5 year old boy playing with girls toys

44 replies

earlynite · 02/06/2008 21:12

Was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar "problem". My 5 year old son's favorite colour is pink and he is very interested in girls toys. It does not bother me but I am worried that if he mentions it to the boys at school they will make fun of him??

OP posts:
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WingsofaAngel · 02/06/2008 21:14
Hmm
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cariboo · 02/06/2008 21:18

My ds(4)desperately wanted a Baby Born (his sister's got 3)&, despite dire warnings from dh, I bought him a little ChouChou for Xmas. He loves her in a sort of absent, Daddy-like way. He calls her Caramel & pats her head fondly from time to time. I wouldn't worry! As long as your ds isn't playing with howitzers...

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KatyMac · 02/06/2008 21:21

Pink is a colour which releases happy chemicals in the brain (like exercising does)

What are 'girl's toys'?

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funnypeculiar · 02/06/2008 21:25

Define girls toys...
Ds (4) is now out of his pink phase, but his best mate is currently in one.

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cariboo · 02/06/2008 21:27

Dolls, of course.

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bellavita · 02/06/2008 21:27

DS2 loves pink.

He always used to put the nurses or fairy outfit on when he went to mums and tots, he would also go for the little pushchairs/buggies they had there aswell.

He will be nine this year but does not have a problem telling others that he likes pink.

Don't think he can remember the dressing up bit, but he likes to comb my hair and will do his feet if I am giving myself a pedicure or file his finger nails!

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bamzooki · 02/06/2008 21:31

Does he have an older sister?
I have a 5yr old DS - who is currently wearing 10 yo DD's nail varnish, is lusting after her earrings, and is desperate for a baby - 'Oh WHEN are we getting a baby Mummy? every 10 mins ad nauseum.
I will probably get him a doll to 'mother' for now seeing as H has just moved out there is not likely to be a baby any time soon.
But he also plays soldiers/cowboys/loves doing mechanic things with H etc and I am not at all bothered by the girly stuff.

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KatyMac · 02/06/2008 21:31

What you mean dressing dolls & pushing prams??

So no men in your family push a pram or dress/change a baby?

Isn't that a bit odd?

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Divastrop · 02/06/2008 21:31

i refuse to accept there are any such thing as girls and boys toys in this day and age.

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bellavita · 02/06/2008 21:32

He also trots around in my shoes

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cariboo · 02/06/2008 21:32

Tee-hee!

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ANTagony · 02/06/2008 21:35

DS played non stop with the pushchair at playgroup XP felt strongly about girl toys. When he left brought a cheap pushchair now he's got one its not interesting anymore. You can't win.

Both my boys like to put my bras on. We've also had the when am I going to grow milk tanks conversation.

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cory · 02/06/2008 22:17

Isn't it odd that in this day and age, when pram pushing and babycare is so much of a reality for grown men, there is still a lot of worry when little boys are seen playing at the same activities?
I also had a friend who worried because her dd wanted to play with cars all the time. I pointed out that she drove a car every day and that the car was a big part of her life. But dd wasn't supposed to copy Mummy

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 02/06/2008 22:22

Yes, boys are people, and people care for each other. So there is no problem with children exploring roles that traditionally were seperated along gender lines.

Pink, schmink.

Lol at bra wearing, I have an adorable pic of DS2, starkers, wearing nowt but my hi-heels. Clip clop.

[now thinks of Wandering Trolley and her mad races with clip clop lady]

sorry for hijacking myself

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AbbeyA · 02/06/2008 22:28

It is strange that it is OK for girls to play with boys toys but not the other way around! I am not sure how a 5 yr old is supposed to know which are for boys and which for girls. I think it is quite common.

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bellavita · 02/06/2008 22:30

I never minded DS2 pushing dolls prams or dressing up - it kept him busy so I could chat and have coffee with other mums

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foxythesnowfox · 02/06/2008 22:35

Yep, the boys at school will have something to say about it, sadly.

My DS1 had a pink lunchbag in Reception. He wanted it, and I have no problem with it.

One of the boys came up to us in the playground and said to him 'why have you got a pink lunchbag? Girls like pink'. DS said 'well, I like it too'. I explained to the boy that it was OK for him to like pink, for everyone to like what they like. He said 'Can you tell my mum that?'

DS1 also liked dressing up in Disney Princess dressing-up at a friends house. DP wasn't keen on that admittedly.

He grew out of it, with the help of the kids in the playground.

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LadyMuck · 02/06/2008 22:46

Ds2 is fairly into pink. His requests for his 5th birthday included Barbie's horse and some fairy thing. He already has 2 doll's houses. But he knows that he is a boy - he just prefers girls's toys at this stage, and will happily play with friends' daughters when they come round.

At school it is just seen by his friends as being part of who he is. It is clear that a number of the parents have hangups though! The rest of his (all boys) class came to hs birthday party: one parent phoned to say that her son had said that ds2 would love a Barbie and was it ok to get him one, and 2 more on the day told me that their sons had said something similar but they refused to believe them, and so he was given power rangers. In one sense I was pleased that ds2 had friends at his school who knew him that well - he is at a boys school.

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Divastrop · 02/06/2008 23:26

my dd2 is 2.6 and has been mad on cars since she was about 11 months old and shunned all her baby toys in favour of ds2's toy cars.i got her a garage for christmas which my mum didnt approve of.she likes to watch top gear and 'car crashes'(which is what she calls those reality shows).she was very impressed when the bus depot had an open day last week too.

im quite glad really as i despise barbie+disney princess stuff.

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LadyMuck · 02/06/2008 23:30

If she is just 2.6 then I wouldn't rule out Barbie just yet!

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chunkychips · 02/06/2008 23:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

joash · 02/06/2008 23:38

FGS - why is it a problem for a 5 year old boy to play with so-called 'girls' toys or to like pink?
what the hell are 'boys' toys and 'girls' toys - they are all just toys, it's people with restrictive attitudes who label them.

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hayley2u · 02/06/2008 23:40

my ds plays with an awful lot of girls as welas the boys, but at their age (5) teres only us parents to tell them if its right to play with them or not, children learn through play and will copy domestic chores. my ds when he was 2/3 he was fascinated in the cups n saurses n making pretend tea etc so i bought him some platic ones and he loved it and would also askus for baby, and now hes into power rangers.
as i worked in nursery we wuld have days to bathe dolls make beads role play toencourage their emotional developent, plus now there is so much equal ops children are able to explore more whilst younger

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Divastrop · 02/06/2008 23:41

my ds2 also loves flowers,he is the same age

dd1 had barbies from age 3-6 but she is now 9 and they have all been given 'makeovers',mainly turned into goths

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overthehill · 03/06/2008 00:01

Our friends' middle ds was really into pink when he was about 4 and desperate to have a skirt of his own, so they bought him a kilt!

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