This post was originally published on DC Metro Moms.
I always planned to be a feminist mom. I’d give my kid (male
or female) equal opportunity to play with dolls or trucks. There would be no
such thing as girl toys or boy toys. Just toys.
When I found out I was having a girl, I demanded that no
pink clothes should be bought for my daughter. (If the baby had been a boy, I would have
demanded no baby blue either). My girlfriends with kids laughed at me. “She’ll
look good in pink, Kim.”
I didn’t care. I didn’t want my daughter to start her life
already boxed into girl colors. As soon as she could start playing with toys, I
bought her blocks, toys that made noise, toys that didn’t scream “boy” or “girl.”
So how is it that my 3 year old loves pink and her favorite thing to do is play
princess?
Of course I never deprived her of pink completely. Trying to
find non-pink girl clothes is like trying to find a prom date who didn’t have
zits. I guess that’s what I get for trying to hard. Maybe it’s Mother Nature way of sticking her
tongue out at me.
As a parent I have to pick my battles. It took me a while,
but I’m comfortable that she loves pink. That she wants to wear pink every day,
every minute. That she loves makeup. That she even loves dressing up as a
princess. Everyday if she could. Heck I even made her a princess dress for
Halloween. It might be a phase or it might be forever. Still, I have a lifetime
to teach and show her that girls are not limited by their sex.
If she wants to play doctor, great! If she pretends to be an
evil stepmother, no problem. One day at preschool, I saw her “fixing” things at
the tool bench, while wearing a princess dress and heels. I guess I am raising a feminist after all.
Who cares if she wants pink tools?
That's the pink dress I made for her. She actually still fits in it! Thank goodness I planned ahead and made it big.
