to really HATE my daughters Christmas presents and think they are really shit?

[TotorosOcarnina]

Shes 2.

She got from family members (who must have conspired together ...)

A play kitchen
A play iron
a play kettle
a play micrwave
a play hetty hoover
play food to cook.

Ermmm just because shes female she gets cleaning and domestic appliances for xmas??

My boys didn't get anything like this... ever!! So why because shes a girl has she got all this crap??

Why would she want to pretend to iron?! or pretend t warm up a tin of beans?!

Am baffled!

Amongst DD's presents from Santa were a Dolly and a drill with toolbelt.

She loves the dolly more. She just does.

I draw the line at any child of mine having an iron or a broom because I do my best not to go near those things myselves.

I have NO objection to any child of mine loving and caring for a dolly - there is nothing wrong with looking after children, and pretending to look after children. I deeply resent the idea that girls shouldn't play with dolls because raising children isn't something to aspire to.

do you think these toys are ok if bought for boys? - if they WANT them yes, but DD has never basked for them or shown an interest.

we don't do 'gender toys' in this house, you get what you want.

For example DS1 loves very boyish things - so hthats what he gets

my second son loves cats, soft toys, nail varnish, pink pyjamas - so he gets them

DD hovers in beteween with creative stuff and some girly stuff and some boyish stuff

but just never cleaning!

(Have happy memories of dh, BIL and my sister staying up what seems like all ruddy night one Christmas eve trying to put together a toy kitchen for ds. Fortunately there really wasn't enough room in there for me to help. I just watched, smirking, as they failed around trying to insert tab Bvii (2) into slot Xiv (3a). )

I do see your point, that your daughter's gifts have been decided based on her genitalia rather than her personailty. But rather than feeling cross, play subversive little games like holding up the toy iron and pretending it's a phone.

Who are you btw OP? Your daughter doesn't have the name of a disney princess does she? Or am I thikning of someone else?

flailed but failed is equally applicable.

hahah coldtits, she would burn her ear!

thats my point, they seemed to assume she would like them because she is a girl.

they never assumed my boys would.

Coldtits - as long as that doesn't lead the dd into making the mistake of her life when she holds a real, hot iron up to her ear... (OK, I may be paranoid about this, but a colleague of mine once did that by mistake. ouch.)

YANBU as your boys weren't given any presents like this. It's a shame that gender stereotyping is still such an issue though. DS (also 2) has all of these things apart from the microwave and really loves them - "ironing" is one of his favourite things to do. As others have said, role play is natural and normal (and chores are unfortunately part of life), but it's a shame if relvatives aren't giving her a balance of toys to widen her horizons (although I assume you'll do this for her anyway ).

I can understand your point about not being what she wanted--did they even ask her what she wanted? It would be awful to ask for say, a rocket ship, and open up a broom.

Actually come tho think of it DS2 will probably absolutly adore it all when opened!, so it won't go to waste!

lol @ fuzzypicklehead - fair enough!

I just don't see the point of a real Hetty Hoover, tbh, never mind a toy one! Pink stinks.

eartha, who said girls shouldn't play with dolls?

I was brought up by a 1970s women's libber who went on all the marches and who was very happy for me to have a whole family of dolls AND made me a toy flat with a cooker, kitchen table and gingham curtains.

My DS got pretty much the same at the same age as well as cars and trains - purely because at that age he loved role play.

If your DD doesn't like them exchange them.

Be honest OP, if she spends tomorrow 2 hours playing happily on her own with her new kitchen wont you be happy to sit down and mnet?

Bought my DD (2.5) and DS (1) very similar, for them to share and they love it all. In fact my son spent all of today (at family's) finding a real brush to sweep up around everyone.

I did insist on making sure none of it was pink though.

Sorry your sons didn't get a chance to play with this sort of stuff.

I have 2 DDs. I was determined that they would have toys which would not be 'girly' toys. They loved play food, tea sets, kitchens, dolls, prams and horror of horrors Barbie and Bratz.
They are teenagers now. Their rooms need hazardous waste stickers on the door, they can cook, but when necessary they'd rather stick a pizza in the oven or boil some stuffed pasta for 2 minutes.
She's 2. Pack some of it up and bring it out gradually as she gets older. If she's got any little boy friends ( and i obviously just mean friends who are boys) bring it out when they come over to visit. DD1s little boy friends used to love coming round to play.
She used to love going to play at their houses too. They had toy hoovers and carpet sweepers - one even had a toy washing machine - I think she felt deprived.

I don't deprive her of girly things, she is really girly actually. her bedrooms bright pink as are her coats and hats, she has girly toys like jessie from toy story, girly books,

its just the cleaning/cooking i don't get!

my ds2 has all those things...he loves them!

i'd be a bit at the overwhelmingness of it, i think, but we love our play cooker here. my dds wouldn't recognise an iron though and hoover-wise they are given our real one to 'play' with on a regular basis.

You are being overly sensitive. My friend's litlle boy has a Hoover, a dust pan and brush, trolley with plastic food: loves them.

• little

YABVU - why would a child (as in children of both sexes) want to pretend to cook, iron?....answer, they are playing at having life skills. Get it?