the other day i was at target putting together a little summer fun packet for my cousin's girls (they are in the states for a month from singapore, where they are stationed for her husband's work). i was checking out and putting all the girly girl items in a bag to make it easy to grab and go into the post office. the checker asked if he could put anything else in a bag for me, and i replied, "oh, no, you did a great job bagging, i'm just getting all the girly stuff together to mail in a care package. i hope it's the right stuff--my cousin has the girls and i have the boys. i don't know a thing about girly stuff--it's all about trucks in our house." the checker gave me a sour look as though he had just swallowed too many lemons and not enough sugar, and said, "i really don't believe in genderized toys and colors--i think it's ridiculous." and he stalked off. truth be told, he was a rather flamboyant, effeminate male...as far as genderized males go. i wasn't about to enter into a philosophical/spiritual conversation with a sixteen year-old flamboyant target checker who thinks he has the world figured out, so i just left.
but it got me thinking: it's true, i've never dressed pace in a pink tutu or put his hair in pigtails, but we haven't pushed one toy over another, we haven't promoted certain colors, and we haven't stocked pace's shelf with only rough-and-tough boy books. pace is naturally drawn to more "boy-ish" colors and toys. when we were looking at books in target, pace started going nuts in the shopping cart, pointing and begging me in his toddler jibberish to go back. out of all the books that were there--both girl- and boy-targeted books--he saw the one and only book that interested him: a book on trucks, complete with buttons to push to hear the truck noise.
uncle jon erik sent the perfect gift for pace when max was born: a set of trucks. he knows all their names--bulldozer, excavator, dump truck. and pace asks me the same thing, every day. all. day. long. "mama? 'side? guck? dirt!"
so, dear mr. target-checker: we are thinking about turning the blueberry patch into a dirt pit for pace and his "gucks". you are welcome to join us any time.
2 comments:
lol. violet loves to play with trucks in the dirt too! funny. and she loves PINK dressies! they certainly let us know what they like dont they? although if porter wanted toonlywear pink i am not gonna lie...i wouldnt. i think as parents we need to "direct" our kids to understand their gender. if when older they disagess then its not "our" doing! too many parents let their kids "explore" way too much into other gender things like letting their 6 year old wear tutus all day with a crown. um no. sorry, not me. 6 yt old dont know what is best. anyway i am off my soap box. =) so YES play in that dirt pace =)
When I was little my mom got me a new car carrier truck every year for easter. Maybe that explains why I love cars so much. I could not agree more with your observation of the Target checker. I guess he does not realize it is not his job to judge people, he is just supposed to be checking not trying to force his opinions on others.
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