She, Robot

          (When I Was a Boy, by Dar Williams)

So Maeve likes robots.  Not a big deal, robots are cool, there's one in her They Might be Giants "Here Come the ABC's" dvd, which is probably why she likes them.  That and her daddy likes them, too, kind of a lot.  So I got her a boy's toddler t-shirt with a robot on it.

Apparently, only boys like robots.  And non-poodle dogs, and trucks, and Cookie Monster, and dinosaurs.  Except Maeve loves all those things, in her passionate, haphazard little way.  She loves them just as much as she loves purses, necklaces, dollies, and tutus.  I guess no one told her little girls don't like those things.

I certainly didn't.  Because I encourage her to love every single thing she loves, and that means buying her "boy" clothes and "boy" toys.  I just feel bad because she's got it easy compared to the boys who love their purses, dollies, and tutus alongside their trucks and dinos.  It seems even now that masculinity is viewed as powerful, and so is acceptable in a girl, whereas femininity is still a weakness in a boy.

Sorry, I'm feeling the soapbox today.  But just as a favor to myself and all the little ones out there, let your baby love what s/he loves, and don't give him or her a hard time about it.  The wonder of the world is that we are all different, and we are all the same.

Robots n beads