Would You Encourage Your Lad To Play With Barbie?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30794476
Yep it's another belter frm the Limp dums!

[Retrochic]

best answer for alavahalf lol!

[joggerjayne]

Has she thought through the implications of this?

She is trying to persuade people fight against boys' natural instinct.

The last time that anyone in authority tried to fight against people's natural instinct was when they said ...

"If your natural instinct is to be gay, we will put you in prison!"

Just let people be what they feel is right. Stop trying to manipulate people.

[ummmm]

My youngest son was obsessed with Polly pockets and my daughters barbie house. He's 16 now and only has interest in music.

I'm of the opinion that kids should be able to play with whatever they want. It's easier when you have children of both sexes.

[Retrochic]

Young children don't play with what they 'want' they play with what parents buy them or what toy manufactures advertise to them on TV.

[joggerjayne]

If a boy wants to play with a doll, let him have one.

But if he wants a gun and helicopter, it would be wrong to say ... "we were thinking, maybe a doll instead?"

[lindapalmara]

I had it the other way round, the only doll my daughter played with when she was young was her brothers Action Man, till be bought her one of her own! All doll Gifts were relegated to the loft!

[alavahalf]

Further to my previous post it got me thinking about childhood and possible consequences had I shown any feminine tendencies. I'm sure had I been drawn to the lure of a plastic 7" leggy blonde my flames of desire would surely have been pi$$hed on.

As a child in Dunbarton I can often remember visiting my Granny in The Gorbals in Glasgow in the 1960's. . I was always a bit scared of my uncles because they had these slash marks on their faces and they smelt of whiskey, apparently they had cut themselves shaving according to my mother. They always had loads of cash as well. Besides that it was great going there because my uncles had better guns than I did.
As a child it was a long time before I grasped why grown men would have guns. Don't worry they believed in Health and safety as they always removed the bullets before they encouraged me to play with the guns.
They had some amazing knifes as well and they carried them every time they went out of the door.


Imagine if I whipped out my Barbie and said "What do you think of this Uncle Jimmy"...

Some years after I moved away from Scotland I had reason to ask my mother where my Uncles are now.
She said " Don't worry ... the Queen looks after them now".... True story !

Anyone seen my lipstick !

[jim360]

That's precisely the sort of attitude that should change, though. The idea that boys who show feminine tendencies should be bullied or teased about it by their families is surely one that we want to get rid of.

[-Talbot-]

Young children don't play with what they 'want' they play with what parents buy them or what toy manufactures advertise to them on TV.


?
No... they play with what they want. My wife has spent thousands over the years on crap the kids won't play with. They are only interested in electronic stuff. (we sell this crap at the car-boot for threepence a few months later)
If it's not laptop/Tablet X-Box etc related... they are just not interested.

[Old_Geezer]

A culture thing that is already on the way there in most of the country.

[Deskdiary]

"We have never allowed Barbie, Brats or other female toys, or male dolls that indoctrinate certain negative values or ambitions"

Hilarious - That is the best piece of psychobabble nonsense I've heard for a long time.

[jourdain2]

The only time a Barbie doll made it into the house was when someone gave my daughter one for Xmas - she mysteriously disappeared by New Year!

[jourdain2]

^^^ doll, not daughter!

[alavahalf]

Jim .. sorry I didn't say that it was my attitude now. Just pointing out how it was then and how I seen it through the eyes of a child.
Times have changed and I think we are more mellow. It is seemingly now more acceptable and open to 'flirt with your other side'.

I must admit to steering mine down what I thought was the right road though.
When my 4 year old son decided to apply a coating of makeup on himself.
He was told that "other boys don't wear makeup and if they know that you do ...they will laugh at you ... now go and find your Lego"

I never felt that makeup was the way forward, in fact I positively discouraged it.

It worked and now aged 30 he builds F1 cars for a living and surfs big waves for thrills, and I am a soon to be Grandfather. Happy days!

[jim360]

It comes down to judgement calls, I guess. I'd be hesitant to impose too much on a child, they should feel fairly free to experiment, but at the same time you don't want to impose nothing at all.

[Retrochic]

Talbot .Electronic stuff is great I'm not knocking electronic stuff. The OP is about boys and girls and should they be encouraged to play with dolls. IF you buy mindless dolls that encourage children to conform to what some one has decided is 'feminine' like Barbie your child is more likely to play with one than if you don't. If you buy a barbie and your child doesn't play with it they obviously have more taste than the parent!

[Retrochic]

Deskdiary I'm so pleased to have brightened up your day with 'psychobabble nonsense'. I did not want my female children to grow up thinking to be feminine and accepted you had to have a 22 inch waist long blonde hair and be obsessed with clothes. Even the makers of Barbie have realised this and brought out a 'more realistic' doll -you should email them and tell them how ridiculous they are.

[Answerprancer]

Yer nae a jessie jist cos ye play wi a few dollies frae time tae time!

[BlackadderV]

I see nothing wrong with young boys playing with dolls, especially if they are of the inflatable type. You have to start somewhere.

[DaisyNonna]

Never saw the point of dolls when I was a child.
All I wanted was a dog and books, books and more books.
I had them, thanks to my parents.
Daughter never wanted Barbie though she and son had fun with Action Man.
Grandchildren not Doll oriented either.