This morning, Q was looking through a catalog, pointing out things to me that he was interested in. The list included a take-apart model of the human body, a model of a solar house, a robotic arm, and many marble runs.
He’s really interested in how things work — looking carefully, taking things apart, etc. Out there in the wider world, one might say these are typical “boy” things that he’s interested in. Having only one kiddo, I don’t have a good point of comparison. I know, clearly, that there are both boys and girls interested in these things. For those who have boys similar to Q/who have pink boys, what are your boys interested in? There are plenty of fairies, etc in our house (of course!), but I always am intrigued when Q gravitates towards something more “traditionally boyish,” to follow stereotypes. I think my intrigue comes from seeing what natural likes and dislikes kids have when they are hemmed in less by gendered constraints.
I’d love to hear how this plays out for others.
Hey, I’m female and heterosexual and I always loved building stuff! I’m now at Yale and probably going to be an engineering major. 😀
My formerly-pink boy is obsessed with building stuff — blocks, Legos, etc. He’s never really shown any interest in baby or dollhouse play, despite having all those toys available in the home. He did go through a major fairy/princess/mermaid phase, but I can’t say he really “played” it — it was more about books, clothing, etc. He has always played with boys and girls equally, but during the pink phase gravitated more towards the girls. He’s now 5 and seems to be much more solidly “boy” these days, in terms of appearance, friends, and interests. But I’m pretty sure the change was from within rather than influenced by the expectations of others.
My 4 year old pink boy has fairly ‘boyish’ interests when it comes to toys. He is all about pirates and swords, superheroes, rough and tumble play, etc. He just does all these things in a dress. It’s actually very cute to see him wield his sword while wearing a pink polka-dotted frilly outfit. What I find so interesting is that when he engages in this pretend play, he is always a female charachter – a girl pirate, batgirl, wonderwoman, etc. He’s not really into baby dolls, nurturing, and other typical ‘girl’ activities/toys. He has an older sister so these types of toys are plentiful and accessible to him. He did go through a very long and deep princess/fairy stage. About 6 months ago he went to a Peter Pan/Pirate themed birthday party and he went as Tinkerbelle. Like your son, mine is also really focused on how things work, mechanical stuff, tools, etc.
As he is getting older, his interests seem to be becoming more traditionally masculine. I’m not sure if this is because of subtle peer pressure or if it is genuine interest. I *think* it’s the latter because he really seems to love and relish the rough and tumble stuff. Even when he’s playing alone, and thinks nobody else is listening, the dialogue he plays out for his action figures etc. seems extremely boyish in comparison to his sister. He pretends the figures are sinking in quicksand, that they are fighting with sharks, etc., whereas his sister’s dialogues with her figures are more based on relationships and dynamcis – it’s not so ‘action oriented’ if you know what I mean.
However, although his play interest seem to be shifting towards the masculine, his fashion choices are not. He is still very firmly planted in the sphere of hair clips and ponytails, dresse and tights and silver ballet flats.
I can’t wait until he is a bit older and better able to articulate what going on in his amazing brain.
I am a 47 yr. old hetero. female who loved dolls and hotwheels as a child. I’m a mechanical engineer and wished my parents encouraged my interests in building toys and making inventions as a child.
Syd (as princess and fairy obsessed as they come) really wants a train set for her b-day. When I passed on the message to her doting grandmother, the response was, “Really?She doesn’t want a new dollhouse?” AHHHHHHH!
Sounds so simple and is of course heartfelt. But so telling, eh? Certain I’ll see her playing trains adorned in wings and sequins!
I have two daughters, one of whom is pink and frilly and the other completely the opposite. It always interests me to see what sorts of toys they choose for themselves come the holidays. Pink and frilly generally gravitates towards the baby dolls while her sister always wants robots, legos and video games. Their common ground involves anything to do with art – crayons, paint, markers, etc. – although the art they create is wildly different.
I’m a 40 year old transgender woman. Among my favorite toys were Legos, Lincoln logs, chemistry sets, electronics kits, model trains, and anything scientific in nature.
My son Isaac is the same way. He loves his fairies and dresses and is also way into science and how things work. We are having his eighth birthday party at the museum of natural history. I like to think that he is just a very well-rounded little man.
My little 5yr old pink boy really loves digging. He can amuse himself for ages in the backyard with a trowel. Sometimes he adds water, sometimes he finds insects and always tramping dirt into the house and covering the sink when he washes his hands! Loves his lego too, constructing wierd and fantastic machines that do all sorts of stuff. While he is interested in how things work he is more concentrated on why things happen. Why we do certain things instead of taking things apart.
He loves using his imagination. One of his favourite toys at the moment is an old chain that he found in a friends backyard that can from an old toilet cistern (you know the ones where you pulled the chain instead of a button). He also uses a oink heart swizzle stick as a wand!
He has a baby doll and brings her out occasionally but isn’t overly attatched to her. He prefers his soft toys or as he calls them his ‘friends’. Since starting school though he’s playing less with his ‘friends’ which I suppose is a good sign.