From: Courtney
In the photo you will see my
6 year old son Chase “breastfeeding” baby doll on his bed because that’s where
he has seen me breastfeed his baby brother and I think it’s great he wanted to
do pretend so he could “be like mommy”. I did however explain to him that only
mom’s produce milk for the baby.
In chapter 3
it talked about how children learn at a young age what toys to play with and
how boys will play with masculine toys such as action figures and trucks while
girls will play with feminine toys such as Barbie and dolls. “Girls pretend
play often includes assuming family roles, such as one playing mother and
another (or a doll) playing the baby, who has to be fed and rocked to sleep.”
(pg. 61) Although there are some children who interact with the opposite sex
and play with their kind of toys, like my son playing with a baby doll and
being the “daddy”. My son Chase tells me he plays in the housekeeping area at
school and will say “Mommy today I was Serena’s boyfriend and we had a baby.” I
think it’s good he interacts with girls as well. He also loves to watch girly
television shows such as “Little Charmers” and “Shimmer and Shine”. I don’t
subject my child to just play with boy toys.
2 comments:
From Ciera,
Courtney’s photo stood out to me because I strongly agree with the statement that there should not be gender specific toys. It is cruel that young boys will get called “sissies” if they play with dolls, but young girls are praised if they play with toys made for boys, along with taking a role of being a “tom-boy”. Courtney’s use of her son mimicking her action of breast feeding a baby is excellent because it really shows how boys can play house or play with dolls and not be a “faggot” or “gay”. The photo relates to our unit “Gender Roles” that we recently studied and I think Courtney embodied it perfectly!
This photo made me think more about the tight gender specific "rules" that society tells us to put on young children. He is obviously enjoying himself and learning more about how to be a good father even if he is made fun of. Since his head is bent down that may symbolize embarrassment or shame that people put on children when they don't play with the "right toy" for their sex. Also, the fabric that the baby doll is swaddled in looks like a boy's sweater which could symbolize that a man can provide for a child. Overall, the photo is an interesting way to consider the boundaries that are put on children's toys and preferences in today's society.
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