#as long as they aren't endanging anybody or damaging things | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bariumsalts · 1 year ago

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I keep thinking about a passage I read as a child in James Dobson's "Bringing up Boys" where he argues for only giving children toys stereotypical for their gender by citing a study in which girls and boys were given both trucks and a dollhouse to play with. Apparently the girls had tea parties with the trucks and the boys turned the dollhouse components into catapults. But I have found myself lately thinking- so what? Why do children have to play with toys the way adults would? What's wrong with giving girls toy trucks to play truck tea party? If the boys aren't being destructive, why not let them play besieged dollhouse? One of my favorite things about children is the unique perspective and creativity they hold: why stifle that? Why would gendered play require limiting their access to toys?

#parenting #gender #the wild part is #in my house James Dobson was the moderate voice of reason #because we also had parenting books by Debbi and Michael Pearl #who advocated for sickening child abuse and told parents it was the only way to save their child from hell #they made James Dobson look downright progressive by comparison #but anyway #let girls play with trucks and nerf guns #and let boys play with dolls and toy kitchens #let kids explore who they want to be and how they want to play #as long as they aren't endanging anybody or damaging things #let kids play!#their play isn't for the benefit of adults

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