My little boy is super obsessed with cars, monster trucks and actually anything on wheels.
Anytime I go anywhere in the house I either trip over a car, see a car or I'm picking one or a handful to put away. Cars are everywhere!
Lately, Alexander has been telling me that there are girls and boys cars. He's been asking me which one of his cars is my favourite, I then say, the purple, gold or red one and then get promptly told, "No this is not your favourite MUMMA!"
He's also telling me what my favourite colour is and invariably it is pink.... I don't like pink and my favourite colour is blue and all the shades of deep-sea blue to purple colours.
He then gives me a car that he is willing to let me play with and then says that this is a girl's car.
I've been telling him there are no girl's cars or boys' cars, there are just cars.
Girls and boys can have any car they wish or that they really like. The toys or cars you play with should not be determined by your gender.
It's interesting that this is a recent occurrence and a sad one I think. He is separating things into girls' and boys' sections and believes that only boys can play with certain things and the same for girls.
When the twins were little I exposed them to all sorts of toys, trains, train tracks, cars, trucks, building blocks, LEGO and so much more. Hubby and I believe that kids should be exposed to all different things, and toys shouldn't be put in a category of girls or boys, there are just toys for kids.
Kids are drawn to what interests them and we have gone with this, but have made sure we expose all our kids to teddies, prams, cooking toys, building, outdoor toys and everything in between.
Two nights ago he had his Mac Truck from the Toys film and he is able to open each side to allow smaller matchbox/hot wheel type cars to be transported inside (It is like a car transporter). My little boy who is a few months of four years told me there is a girl's side and a boys side. Really???? Why is this so?
Now every time he says it I say that cars are cars and can be for everyone. Not ones for boys and not ones for girls, just cars.
It is sad in my opinion that this is happening, it is terrible that kids pick up on differences and they are now translating it into reasons that girls and boys need to have different toys.
I suppose my upset and shock is that the sexism is starting early, but it is how you deal with the comments and what you say to direct this new belief. As a mum who is a proud feminist and believer that girls can be whatever they want and do whatever they want, I will be making sure my little boy understands that girls can have the hotted-up monster truck too.
Has this happened to you? Suddenly you're dealing with being told what girls or boys can do from your toddler?
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