Toys - Jacksonville,FL

I-yi-yi!!!! I can't believe a couple of people actually said they know boys who played with dolls as children and grew up to be gay!!!!! You can't "become gay" because of the toys you played with as a child!!!!! Do people in this day and age REALLY believe that can happen???? If a boy is born gay, taking away dolls as a child will not straighten him out to prefer women when he grows up. And playing with dolls as a child will not make him prefer to date men when he grows up.

I have a son that is now 33 years old. He too liked to do many of the things that you describe your 5 year old doing. He is a very masculline man however is also a very sensitive person who cares about people and understands when people hurt. He and his wife have four children and he is a very good father. Don't worry however do enjoy your son for the unique person that he is. :)

Hi there,

I have a 6 year old son who also likes to play sometimes with "girl toys", but he also likes to ride bikes, play guns, and do other "boy" stuff. It really doesn't matter at this age. I remember when I took a class called Early Education & Development at college that it is fine for kids this age to play with toys that are traditional meant for the other gender. I agree with what was mentioned earlier about transitioning your son to action figures just so he won't get made fun of possibly by other boys his age. That is the only thing that my son does have trouble with. He likes Dora the Explorer, and the other children in his class tease him unmercifully about it. It doesn't stop him from watching her on TV or playing with Dora toys or reading Dora books, he just asks me not to tell anyone so he won't be ridiculed. It is just not right that it should matter at this age, but kids are sometimes forced to grow up too soon these days. Your son will be fine and so will mine, they will just grow up well-adjusted and more caring than others.

it is normal do not put too much into it. if you make a big deal out of it he will. he just thinks it is neat probably because his sister can play with them so he figures why can't i. he will be ok.

S.,

Yes, it's normal and no, you don't need to worry. It's actually good for them and you can help him to have a healthy outlook on being a daddy one day. You can have him pretend that he goes to work and his wife stays with the baby. And then when he comes home, he helps out by taking care of the baby so his wife can get dinner ready or relax for a while. This will help him to have a mindset of how he should do things when he is older. Give him ideas such as taking the baby for a walk or to the park or in the back yard to swing, etc... You get the idea.
Take Care,
T.

Hi S.,
While in college I took a "Marriage and Families" course, and it basically discussed gender roles. It is a "role" that society creates, it is not set in stone. My son loves cars, actually "obsessed" would be a better word. But he loves playing in his play kitchen, cooking and stuff. Some people viewed me purchasing this for Xmas for my son, as turning him into a "girl". Whatever that means... So what!

And yes, I have seen boys play with dolls and I think it should be seen as a good thing as opposed to a negative. I asked a boy I used to look after what he wanted to be when he grew up, (he was playing with dolls). He said he wanted to be a Daddy. How wonderful!

Hi, I am a grandmother of three boys and all three of them liked to play with dolls and other supposedly "girl" toys. However, little boys need to know their way around a kitchen, how to iron and get dressed!! I think it is perfectly normal behavior and I wouldn't worry.
S. S

I don't know if you ever watch Super Nanny but she addressed this with one father who was worried about his 4-5 yr old dressing up as a girl and playing with girl stuff. She said it was totally normal for children his age to experienment with stuff and that they are too young to understand why it isn't right (i.e. gay). From personal experience...my cousin was around his age when we all thought he would end up gay because he played with dolls etc and he did turn out to be gay. It was obvious to us at that age. So I can't tell you who is right Super Nanny or my personal experience. All I can say is don't make a big deal about it, let him do what he wants to and hopefully he will outgrow it when he plays with other boys who are more into the boy stuff. Good luck and try not to worry too much.

Some people might tell you this is weird but I wouldn't be concerned. If your son was much older or was an only child you wouldn't find this occuring - he sees that the girls have fun doing it. It's also good hand/eye coordination practice.

If you just simply prefer him to play with 'boy' toys try taking him to the store and let him pick out some toys. At this age, I just wouldn't worry about it. If he is happy and enjoying himself he will be fine.

right now you don't need to worry but as he gets older steer him away from girly things and do it gradually because some children pick up on things you don't want them to do, rather than things you really want I have 2 nephews that played with girls things as children and both of them turned out to be gay keep watch and dont get excited or change your tone when you see him with girl things and pray over your son let the devil know that he cannot have your son dedicate your child to the Lord the Bible says to train a child while he is young and when he is old he will not depart from it .may God bless you and your children

I have 2 younger brothers but only one is closer to my age. So when I was playing with my Barbies so was my brother. I would alway complain to my mom about it but she would say to let him play with them. He was just wanting to what I was doing.
You might see if he would like his own GI Joes. My youngest brother played with them for a while. This was too you can call them action figures :)
No worries. Boys will be boys.