So is gardening just for girls?

[aPixieMomma]

Went to ELC yesterday to get ds1 a gardening kit.

They only had pink. I still bought it as he's 22months and doesn't care what colour it is. But when enquired about it they said they did have blue one's but they didn't sell so never got anymore in, would my son prefer this robot. It's half price you know?

Well no, he doesn't want the robot (he actually already has it) he wants to steal my gardening tools and I'd rather he had his own.

So AIBU buying my ds a gardening kit as "gardening is more for girls, isn't it"

How bizarre, is DH's domain here!

Try a gardening centre, they sell nice kids sized gloves (with bugs on). And other nice kids gardening stuff. The gloves are also thick enough to pick up thorny stuff in the garden.

Go a garden centre where you can get lovely non-gender specific gardening sets for children. I can't bring myself to shop at ELC because of all of this 'pink for girls, blue for boys' shite.

YANBU btw.

All the RHS centres have childrens' gardening sets and some lovely activities for children in the holidays to get them even more interested.

Definitely get to a garden centre! Lots of great things there that are gender neutral.
Gloves can be tricky as they don't come in very small sizes. DS still hasn't any that fit and he's nearly 4.

Useless res

Sorry - iPhone posted before I finished!
YANBU and ELC show yet again that they need to rethink a few things

Hate ELC gender coloured toys.
DS (2.6) loves gardening, I hate it!

get a blue set online

Someone at ELC told you they didnt sell?
What utter bollocks.
You'll go in again next week and find they will have blue ones in stock again.
Guarantee it.
If anything the blues ones sell better than the pink.

Just re-read your OP and had to laugh... If the blues ones didnt sell how come they havent got them in? If they are out of stock it shows that they do infact sell. The sales assistant sounds like an arse. They have no choice on what they get in stock. They sell out, the warehouse sends more by way of electronic point of sale.

I'm getting irrationally annoyed by this for some reason...

I would guess the blue ones sell better too. I would always buy blue in preference to pink if it was available for my DD. I hate everything to be pinktastic and I'm sure lots of mums do even if they only have girls.

What Mumwitha... says.

I don't think we ever had a gardening set which wasn't either green or scarlet. Garden centre, as everybody has said.

DH has worked in horticulture for 30 years and has never once in that time been a girl or used pink tools.

Having employed my DS (10) to stand as 'tree and shrub stabliser' last week while I backfilled the things into position, I can confirm that there's at least one boy in existence who thinks gardening is 'a bit lame'. However, when we pruned the 20ft high pampas grass by setting fire to it and he was on stand-by with the hose-pipe, he very nearly changed his mind!

Total rubbish- I have a boys one.

Boys adore digging in mud and watering plants.
My kids use generic adult tools from B&Q rather than toy ones which are usually not as well made.

The garden would look like a jungle if DH and the boys didn't do. I can't stand gardening.

ELC really has got crap. We got some nice gardening tools for the boys from cheapo B and M store.

Gardener's World lead presenters have included:

Ken Burras (1968 ? 1969)
Percy Thrower (1969 ? 1976)
Arthur Billitt (1976 ? 1979)
Geoff Hamilton (1979 ? 1996)
Alan Titchmarsh (1996 ? 2002)
Monty Don (2003 ? 2008)
Toby Buckland (2008 ? 2010)
Monty Don (2011 ?)

Although they maybe all prefered robots when they were boys too.

Never knew Ken Burras had presented it. He was DH's boss, back in the day.

I dont remember Ken Burras but it was never quite the same after Percy Thrower.

Its a bit like Test Match Special is not quite the same without John Arlott.