To not buy DS2 pink shoes?

[trigirl2012]

DS2 is 2.5 years old and loves pink mainly as he dotes on DD (aged 8). DS1 went through similar pink phase at same age, and has definitely grown out of it.

Anyway current shoes are red start rite, and when I bought them he refused to try on the other ones that were brought out (various colours, blue brown, black). But was happy when he saw the red shoes and has told everyone he knows - "look at my red shoes".

Current shoes too small and meltdown in shoe shop as wanted pink shoes. While DS1 getting schoool shoes DS2 and DD had gone to look at toddler shoes and come back with a few pink flowery shoes. He totally refused to put his feet into the shoes that were brought out for him in selection of boys colours - blue, brown, black etc. Just said "want pink shoes, no like it blue shoes"

I didn't buy the pink shoes (didn't even let him try them on, even called DH who said definitely not), tears all round him saying he wanted pink shoes, but luckily happy ending as shop assistant found red geox boots that he eventually accepted.

But I would have bought DD as a toddler blue boys shoes had she had a meltdown. And I will let DS2 wear hand me down pink wellies (although equally happy to buy him new wellies if he wants).

So was I reasonable - should I have bought the pink shoes for him?

ds1 already has bigger feet than me, an dds2 at ten yrs old is the same size.

i always get well fitted shoes, tbh we dont actually get much choice as they all have odd feet which are wide with a really high instep, yesterday they tried 20 pairs on dd, of which 2 fitted! she got a pair of ecco shoes, they are lovely and should last a while as long as she doesnt have a growth spurt, she grew out of her last pair in a month!

we get good quality shoes for everyday use and then a pair of crocs for the beach, wellies, trainers but they again tend to be expensive as they need to fit properly and then for dd i have been getting some canvas shoes. then there are football boots etc, it really adds up1

I'm the same as exotic
Both boys and girls in my family have neutral shoes
Wouldn't really care if I saw someone else's toddler in brighter colours though

Wells boots etc are green or blue from now on as they're the colours that the eldests school requests and they get passed down

MixedBerriesTue 21-Aug-12 12:12:30

Thank you for this article. I read this and then left it on a separate web page purposely

SNM

www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/magazine/whats-so-bad-about-a-boy-who-wants-to-wear-a-dress.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

I would have got him a pair of pretty pink flowery ones in Tesco or payless or something, for wearing about the house, or dress up shoes. But I think I would have got black shoes for every day wear as that is what the other kids have, be they boy or girl, for ease of matching everything. We don't have money to waste on different colour shoes when their eet grow so fast, so Striderite shoes are always very neutral colours.

I wouldn't stop my son wearing pink if he wanted at 2, in case I pushed him into repressing the feminine side and somehow making it seem more attractive at a later age. Both my sons have occasionally tried on their sisters dresses, skirts, make up etc. I wouldn't actively encourage it, but I wouldn't stop them either - I think it is totally normal :-)