This is my son's 3rd birthday gift. He picked it out, test "drove" it and made the decision this was the one he wanted...well as much as a 3 year old can.
As I was placing the order today, I had a thought. This wasn’t the one he originally wanted. When we walked into the store…he went straight for the pink one with purple streamers on the handle bars. Without giving it much thought, I steered him towards the boy bikes and we moved on. This isn't the first time this has come up. He always wants to eat off the pink plate (and I oblige) and if you ask him his favorite color, it's always enthusiastically pink. It doesn't really surprise me, nor bother me. A lot of his friends are girls and his cousin (who he worships) is a girl and they aways want "the pink one" so it makes sense that he does too!
It got me thinking. If my daughter had picked out "a boy" bike, would I have done the same for her, steered her towards the more girlie bikes? I'm not sure, come to think of it. Personally, I would want her to have the pink one, because that's what I would want, but I probably wouldn’t put up too much stink if she rode away on the Harley Davidson camouflage version.
I always thought I'd be the type of parent that let my kids express their individuality anyway they wanted...but, just like that, in an instant, I wasn't. And, I have a feeling I'm not alone. Would you have let your son get the pink bike? Did I make a major parenting blunder?
You didn't make a blunder, just make sure that your son doesn't pick up on your discomfort. That being said, there is nothing wrong with boys liking pink. My son (just today) was sent a hot pink cashmere scarf for his 5th birthday. He loves it.
ReplyDeleteSometimes his friends (typically the girls) say that he isn't supposed to like pink. I always tell him that's silly. Colors don't have gender. And I don't want him to get a complex because of a color.
As a parent, you are entitled to do whatever you like. Just keep in mind that his color choices have nothing to do with who he is or what he will be in the future!
Logan
Logan Levkoff, Ph.D.
Sex Educator and Author, Third Base Ain't What it Used to Be
www.loganlevkoff.com
@LoganLevkoff
I agree with Logan. Color has no gender. The beautiful thing about children is they are so pure and have no prejudice towards anyone or anything, including color. I must confess, I had the same moment and thought at one time with Braden and expect to have a couple more in the years to come. We learn more about ourselves through this journey than ever expected, right Jen?
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