to hate it that companies genderise childrens TV show merchendise? For example my SON loves fifi, but EVERYTHING to do with her is pink ..

[Disenchanted]

Now him wearing pink doesnt bother me, he has pink Fifi pyjamas and pink fifi vests! But I would like to be able to get him more boyish stuff with the programs he likes.

but why is all 'Roary the racing car' stuff aimed at boys, ect.

Why cant they make boys jeans / jumpers with Fifi on, and girls skirts with Roary on?

It makes me sad when we go into a shop and DS is pointing at the fifi stuff - how do I explain to him he cant really wear it becasue its a nighty or a skirt.

well eh still will

god its not he end of the world
pink is pretty

ds liekd pink till he was abotu 5

so what?

DS is fairly gender balanced I think - he gets on his tractor with my leopard-skin pumps and a silver handbag to go shopping, post office and erm, feeding calves... .

His barbie princess often operates his diggers - she is apparently better at it than Bob the Builder. Yay!!

THe alpha-males around us try to discourage which is a shame.

Cod - i'm not sure what you mean by 'so what?'

Son in question is 7. His dad loves pink and babies and cooking (esp baking - hence me being the size i am lol).

This isn't about him - it's about gender stereotypes and if i want to get him a nice top i have to go to next or monsoon or somewhere as i'm having trouble getting him one in the shops i can afford that don't say 'all boys are monsters' etc.

I know from my sister that she has a similar problem with pink / sparkles / tart stuff. That's how i got round to this.

He would love the Fifi cooking set that's advertised and i am in fact in the process of trying to find a teaset that's not pink.

Irritating in extremis!!!

never mind the colour he is TOO OLD for fifi surely?

yes tis annoying.

but then, in my day, [old lady voice] we never 'ad any of that branded character merchandise shit.

i lost the old lady bit when i said shit dodnt i? ho hum

DS likes Fifi too, he has a (pink) Fifi potty.

It's the cooking part of it he likes. He would love the magazines but i'm finding him cheaper alternatives.

He also loves 'Night Garden' - he knows he's too old for it but will sit and get quite absorbed (and i know where he's coming from - lol)

jossstick. as it happens i have a teaset i have no need of. its china. came with a basket i wanted out of a charity shop. used the basket, dunno what to do with tea set.
want it?

i agree with cod - at 7 kids have been gender stereotyped for the most part. my boys wouldnt mention their liking of such a programme at that age.

is this a new psoter?

I hate this too. DD loves Bob the builder but everything is so 'boy' orintated!! Ds loves HSM but its all girly. he asked for a watch recenlty HSM and all i could find was a pink one!!!

Aren't you genderising them by believing that pink is for girls though?

DS1 has a pink potty - he wanted the pink one, I bought it for him. My sister asked why he had a girls' potty. He doesn't - it's a pink one. It's adults who have decided pink is for girls and blue is for boys (and pink used to be seen as a manly colour to put on baby boys btw).

I have emailed the Early Learning Centre to complain that they do their toys in baby pink and baby blue (and vomitous shades too) - they've got slightly better recently, but there's still a lot of stuff that needn't be "genderised" - why the f would you need a pink or a blue toy guitar or keyboard, for instance?

but he is 7 and into fifi?
sorry but oyu are setting this kid up to be teased.

Not sure about the "he shouldn't like it" stance though - why is it a problem?

I hate the scornful "it's babyish to like x, y or z" though.

But if all children were "allowed" to like whatever appealed to them, there'd be less teasing and less "should've grown out of it by now" stuff.

It's often parents who place this "not appropriate for you to like x or have y" on their children. And it's usually boys who are being told to "grow up" or "toughen up" and that things are "girly" or "babyish".

I remember seeing a man dragging his toddler son away from the pushchair he'd been wheeling up and down Toys R Us and saying, "FFS, he's going to go gay if you keep letting him do stuff like that" to his partner

How am i setting him up?

He's his own person (and thank god for that!).

He'll sit and watch Fifi if it's on yes - but as i said before it's the cooking element he's really into.

I can't tell him to stop or start being what he is or isn't as he might get teased.

my ds went to bed with a monkey until he was 13

at 14 he still watches cartoons

but at aged 7 he would be mortified to go out in cartoon clothes with a big geoffin flower on the front - his socialisation to that point would have taught him this.

Snappy - that is very lovely of you. What does it look like? Where do you live??

"I can't tell him to stop or start being what he is or isn't as he might get teased."

as a parent you manage these situations - i think a 7 yo boy and pink PJs meant for a girl is PCness too far - should this be fine in society

yes
is it

no

are you going touse yor chid to make a point? ..... GREAT good for you

i would perhaps allow a fi fi doll at night and tell my boy that its inappropriate at ay other time

and i certainly wouldnt be complaining that there are no blue fi fi clothes available for my & yo

That wasn't me!

He has no Fifi clothes.

He just likes the mag because he wants to cook and will watch an episode if it's on (sobs).

However - I would let him wear whatever he wanted, i would warn him if it was a tutu or something that it's not the norm for his gender or age but i would let him and i think i'm managing as a parent quite well thankyou.

Custardo, not sure JS wants clothing for her 7yo DS. The OP does - not sure how old her son is. Unless they're the same person and I haven't noticed!

oh i see - i have two posters mixced up

terribly sorry

so we dont know if pink PJs are for an older child?

but themumofthe 7 yowould let him wear a tu tu - same story from me then.

i am sure you are managing fine no need to get ansty dear

lol at all the twisted knickers.

omg, what a good mn name!

bah!
already in use [sulk]

Have only quickly read the previous posts, but my friend has the same problem, her son loves Dora but cant find any boyish stuff for him.

And regarding the whole "isn't he too old" thing, my life long friend is 26, training to be a brain surgeon and still cant sleep without his comfort blanket (i'm deadly serious).

There's nothing wrong with that, and you are never too old for anything, if FiFi brings your son happiness and joy then thats wonderful, his age is totally irrelevant.

Good luck with your quest!