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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

if I think buying my son a toy pushchair with pink flowers on it won't damage him for life/make him gay/etc etc

74 replies

bohemianbint · 26/05/2008 11:44

He really loves the one at playgroup so I bought him one. It's his best thing ever, it encourages him to walk more (as opposed to making big pregnant me carry him) and he loves pushing his toys around in it. Only thing is they're all bloody pink everywhere you look.

Men push pushchairs. DS may grow up to be a father and push his own child around. So why do they only make them for girls, and why are my family making such a song and dance about it FFS?

OP posts:

jammi · 27/05/2008 09:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

anneme · 27/05/2008 09:49

People are very odd about gender stereotyping. DS1 has a doll and buggy which I got before DS2 arrived - my bf's dh was horrified that I would even think of doing that when i suggested that it might be a way of preparing their DS1 (aged 2) for the arrival of a new baby.
People have also raised their eyebrows at the fact that I will put DS2, aged 1, in tights when it is cold.
People are so odd. DS1 loves dressing up and wanted to get some fairy wings when we were at the shops the other say - the reaction from the people in the shop? "is that for your sister?" grrrr
Having said all that DS1 is becoming more aware of what is for boys and what is for girls (allegedly!) and I think that does happen when they go to nursery. Having said that he is still v keen to wear my tights...

EffiePerine · 27/05/2008 09:55

DS loves his pink buggy. We started off with teddies in it but they get hurled out, presumably becasue they slow him down . He has started carrying his bucket and spade in it if we're going to the play park.

I have never had anything other than positive comments

Fillyjonk · 27/05/2008 09:59

nowt wrong with being gay though, either

if a 1-1 correlation were found b/w playing with pushchairs and growing up to be gay, that wouuld not actually be a terrible thing

GooseyLoosey · 27/05/2008 10:03

I have a friend who bought her sons dolls and buggies and another friend (same age) who finds it very odd and thinks that in some way (although she is vague on this point) it is wrong.

I was surprised by this. I was even more surprised when my 5 year old son expressed a desire to go to his sister's dance class and I agreed, that people felt the need to reassure me that this did not mean that he would grow up gay! It never crossed my mind for a moment that it did.

Rosylily · 27/05/2008 10:04

My ds2 has his own toy buggy but I managed to find him a blue one so that's okay

My ds1 used to rush to playgroup so he could get the purple frilly dress on which he would wear all morning and the staff asked me if it was okay He is now almost 17 and not gay as it happens.

Kewcumber · 27/05/2008 10:07

DS 2.6 got a pink pushchair as a hand-me-down. He loves it and pushes his teddies in it. Tell your family to grow up and do some research in to when pink became "girly".

Flibbertyjibbet · 27/05/2008 10:20

I found one of these little dolls buggys in NAVY. Snapped it up immediately for my two ds's. From Argos its a mini McClaren and was quite cheap.
DP didn't object as much as he would have if I'd bought them a pink one.
However two weeks later we went on hols and DS1 insisted on choosing the My Littly Pony bucket and spade set...and his favourite colour at the mo is pink, so we just let him get on with it.

Kewcumber · 27/05/2008 10:31

"The style of assigning pink and blue to female and male genders is relatively new, and wasn?t a common practice until the 1950s. It should be noted that it is not at all a common practice in other countries, and is limited most often to Western Europe and the Americas."

Ledodgy · 27/05/2008 10:40

My ds has one with huge pink strawberries all over it.

Teuch · 27/05/2008 10:46

DS's buggy is pink and flowery and cost about a fiver from tesco. He loves it.

his two friends, bth girls, have navy blue ones. Who cares?

cheesesarnie · 27/05/2008 10:48

yanbu.

Kewcumber · 27/05/2008 10:48

famous gainsborough boy in pink

peacelily · 27/05/2008 11:04

YANBU toddlers love pushing buggies of any colour no gender stereopying involved.

If he is gay he is anyway no amount of truck play and buggy avoidance will change that. And why is that a problem ffs?

I do find amongst my frineds that it's the Dads who have this total horro about their dcs being gay which is v sad for their dcs whether they're gay or straight.

It's the 21st century it really shoudn't be an issue.

colacubes · 27/05/2008 11:06

Tink, behave, she knows damn well a pink anything wont make him gay, otherwise there would be a million gay men throwing pink objects at Brad Pitt!

Pink does not make you gay, she seems a little worried that a pink pram equals, a slightly feminine side, so as I and others have stated, prams or pink are not the cause of gayness!!

booge · 27/05/2008 11:11

DS' has a feminine side, he loves his pink ballet shoes, DD's buggy, his baby doll and well just about anything pink. All his friends are girls too. He also likes fighting and boys stuff too. Whatever floats his boat is fine by us.

MrsWeasley · 27/05/2008 11:17

My boys had pushchairs much to my mothers disgust They did have a blue one tho but only becuase when I went to ToyRUs to buy it that was the only colour where it came with a doll too.

Both DSs favourite colour when they were little was pink. Now the eldest lists pink as his second fave after red!

duchesse · 27/05/2008 11:32

ofgs- of course it won't make him gay. It may make him into a gorgeous new man not bothered by archaic gender stereotyping.

3andnomore · 27/05/2008 11:46

Obviously you won't turn your child gay....don't think you can be turned one way or another, but that you just are
My 3 boys all had buggies and there are some less girly versions out there...also, for ys ds actually made it himself...well, we had the buggy frame (which was green) and he made the "cover" from camouflage material and it was great....and the amount of people commenting on what good idea it was....well...maybe dh should go into business with that...also had Dolls slings made from that camouflage material, and had a proper (Baby) sling made from cream and camouflage...so, dh would also use it! Looked pretty cool actually!

Original poster

bohemianbint · 27/05/2008 12:39

Thanks for all the responses; Teuch, I think we actually have the same pushchair!

findtheriver - not quite sure why you're being so aggro, I don't think you can have read the thread properly?

"Can hardly believe this thread! Why on earth wouldn't you buy something for your ds just because it's pink!! I think the OP answers her own question: 'Why do people carry on this ridiculous stereotying?' .....er , because people like you start threads like this?"

For starters, I never said the quote you attribute to me, secondly, you're not making any sense whatsoever, and thirdly, what exactly do you mean by "people like me?!"

OP posts:

3andnomore · 27/05/2008 12:49

Just to clarify why my boys didn't have pink buggies...basically I can't stand that gory pink stuff...

Lucifera · 27/05/2008 13:10

It's great reading all the posts about boys having dolls, prams, buggies, pink things etc - the way nearly everything designed for children is so gendered these days drives me MAD. I gave my 3yo gs a dolls house which is bright pink on the outside, his dad is uneasy about it, I know, and apparently had plans to paint it green, but it's come to our house now as they don't have much space, so I guess it will stay pink ...

Idina · 27/05/2008 13:36

Really silly, all my 3 boys have had pushchairs.

No connection whatsoever with being gay and so what anyway?

sparklesandnowinefor5months · 27/05/2008 13:50

not quite sure why people make this type of assumption about boys pushing a puchchair/playing with a dolly/kitchen etc = them being gay, it very odd imo

all my boys have played with stereotypical 'girls' toys and they may or may not be gay who knows but they they are happy and thats all i care about, infact DS3 is playing with his kitchen now

try elc, woolies, john lewis or ebay any of them should have something suitable

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