Should You Let Boys Play With Dolls?
Gender roles only get perpetuated because we are taught them from a young age.
“Boys emulate girls, girls emulate girls and boys.”
— Dan S. Acuff, Ph.D. in What Kids Buy and Why.
Science has shown that girls are naturally more mature than boys. That’s not feminist propaganda, that’s facts based on data collected in experiments done by psychologists.
The role of the caregiver is assigned to girls at an extraordinarily young age, which is why we encourage them to play with dolls. (So they can practice being somebody’s mommy.)
It’s also why we discourage boys from playing with dolls; because we’re afraid that it’ll make them somehow less masculine. Instead, we tell them to play with trucks and to dress up like authority figures (police officers, doctors, etc.)
Hear me out though.
What if those boys need practice being somebody’s daddy? Why shouldn’t they be given the chance to see if parenthood is an option for them?
No, I’m not saying that pre-schoolers and kindergarteners need to be making those kinds of decisions, but I am saying that all options should be available.
