Posted on 03/03/2013 6:04:59 AM PST by Kaslin
This past week an episode of Sesame Street set off a firestorm of debate over whether a boy muppet named Telly should be ashamed that his muppet friends caught him playing with dolls.
In one corner "traditionalists" who called out the episode as gender and sex confused. In the other "modern feminists" who were offended by almost everything the traditionalists said and believe.
In light of these op-eds and arguments I decided to do a bit of personal surveying for myself.
I popped the question to my bride and her best friend as the two couples were headed to Gramercy (in Manhattan) for dinner on Friday night.
"What do you think about boys playing with dolls?" I asked.
"If the dolls are laying around (belong to another child), then it's unlikely to bother me," one of them replied. "If they happen to pick it up, if they are at friend's homes that are girls then it's almost unavoidable."
"But would you ever buy a doll for your young son?" I followed up.
"NEVER!!!" came the reply.
The fervor with which they answered the second question intrigued me. In essence it boiled down to the reality that boys are boys, they are designed to do boy things, and grow from boys into men. Throwing feminine play into the mix delays, interrupts, or intrudes on the development of masculine identity.
In one article Caryn Rivadeneira, writing for Christianity Today, in her even more boldly titled piece, "God Made Boys To Play With Dolls," she argues that: "When we say baby dolls are for girls, that only girls should cuddle and coo dolls, we claim that babies are women's domains, that only mothers should rock and coo and play with their children."
Even though I disagree with her premise, I also disagree with her comparison, and the implied conclusion.
She is arguing that boys should play with dolls because men should become the primary or equal caregivers for newborns? Really?
In a world where abject fatherlessness already exists. In a world where that fatherlessness has single-handidly created the largest welfare state in American economic history. In a world where discernment and wisdom about appropriate sexual behavior is threatening the very well being of our children's future...
Do we really need to question whether or not women are--by nature--designed to be--better at nurturing children?
There is a fascination with the theological and political left in America to appear to have an absence of judgment against immorality, while simultaneously attempting to judge the theological and political right so as to win popularity with the culture, to appear to be intellectual, and to imply that God would love it all.
But to be candid, we are entering "stupid territory" now.
I even confessed to the girls last night that I imagine it won't be all that long into the future before someone writes an article for Christianity Today on the idea of allowing the man to carry the baby to term (since it appears to be medically possible) and that in some way some person will write an article defending it as the ultimate sign of feminist justice.
Meanwhile God sits and laughs at us.
Why? Because we are going to such great lengths to go the other way around the universe to arrive at a simple conclusion: "What's best for children?"
No God didn't make boys to play with dolls. God created boys to grow up and become strong men who would provide for their family and would protect them from the harmful elements of this life. That is the true core of manhood at it's most basic element.
But men that I know personally who excel in that, also generally tend to be some of the most tender-hearted fathers I've ever seen. Fathers whose children feel their love, appreciate their sacrifices, seek diligently to obey or to make them proud, and even desire to pass on a similar legacy when they become parents themselves.
Sometimes the modern feminist (someone who believes in "sameness" between men and women and NOT "equality") ties themselves into pretzel-like knots to argue something foolish to replace something traditional--almost always for no good reason.
In life children are a blessing. In training them to become responsible for their own behavior and consequences it is important to groom them with truth. And the truth is few boys who ever became great fathers ever "played with dolls."
Taking responsibility for your future, owning your actions and behaviors, understanding the choices you make in this life will affect those you love, and preparing them to be ready for it, is what our young men most need to learn.
Miraculously... Having affection for their flesh and blood, learning to be tender with them when they are little and can't sleep, and loving them with all their heart comes much more instinctually to fathers than most feminists would like to believe.
And I should know...
That humility, affection, tenderness and love grew deeper with all three of my sons, and I never played with dolls.
hear, hear! i agree... my sons never watched Sesame Street... actually they never watched any of the PBS programming... before i became a mother, i sort of assumed they would watch Sesame Street and the other PBS showss... however, once i became a mom, i realized i had full control over what my babies were exposed to, and no--we did not have to do what just about everybody else does...
i find Sesame Street to be artificial--in everything it teaches... from social thinking to social skills--to basic academics like letter sounds and counting numbers... so frankly, i don't really care what happens on Sesame Street, even though my tax dollars help support it... i feel the same about government schools since we don't use them...
Every time I happen upon one of these discussions, I flash back to #1 daughter and the Cabbage Patch Doll...
She was six when the blasted things first came out.
Grandma decided that we would get her one for Christmas and since there weren’t any to be had at any price out in our personal remote corner of Flyover Country, I got to “go pick one up” on my business trip to the East Coast the first week of December.
(...that was the closest I’d been to hand-to-hand combat in a while, but I digress.)
Anyway, I procured the doll, it got opened Christmas morning to great approval, appreciation and long years of play.
Then it got passed down to #1 GRAND daughter and I spent a part of a weekend watching her playing with her two younger brothers.
That old Cabbage Patch doll was there, along with a pile of assorted other toys, a few sticks, marbles and a kid-sized cardboard box.
I’d give you a list of the things all of those items got morphed into by that busy little trio over the next half hour, but I’d run out of bandwidth and only get ten percent of the gigs that Cabbage Patch alone got.
Kids’ psyches are shaped by the toys they get???
That’s gotta set some kind of record for mental paralysis by over-analysis (aka somebody’s Doctoral thesis).
Kids play with anything they can lay a hand to and the only limit on the play is the imagination of the child.
I have to wonder if some of these so-called experts on children have children of their own or, for that matter, actually had a childhood.
none of my kids watched any of the PBS shows and especially seasame street.
I’ve just asked my 15 year old boy and he just told me it was freaky.
my boys are raised and I just “let” them play with whatever toys they were around and yes, our best friends were girls. If you act like playing with easy bake will turn him gay, you don’t get it. Guess what, the best chefs are male, so are the best chess players.
Now, now Karf. I can tell by the date you came to FR that you are from another generation and don’t quite understand the new neutered and domesticated male generation. I, too, am from another era, the era of men and manhood and watch in wonderment what the feminists have done to destroy the way it has been since the dawning of civilization.
“girle man riding with a helmet on”
Apparently being a man means splattering your brains on the road.
I still remember ripping the clothes off of my sister’s dolls. NOTHING!!!...except, maybe, a couple of bumps.
(this was before kids had the Internet to get anything they wanted)
That was my extent of playing with dolls.
Feminists: Leave My Boys Alone
My “traditional” response to this particular faction of libtard perversion: Feminists: Go F%^k Yourselves.
“The main way to keep little children from becoming homosexuals is to make darn sure they don’t get molested as children.”
This is the second time today I’ve caught you expressing my own thoughts - I don’t see a lot of that!
Thanks.
Kids’ psyches are shaped by the toys they get???
That’s gotta set some kind of record for mental paralysis by over-analysis (aka somebody’s Doctoral thesis).
Kids play with anything they can lay a hand to and the only limit on the play is the imagination of the child.
I have to wonder if some of these so-called experts on children have children of their own or, for that matter, actually had a childhood.
I am certain that it happened with all of them but it really stands out with my one nephew. First every branch, twig, or Popsicle stick morphed into a sword or knife, then it was a gun. When he discovered Star Trek it was a phaser. He could turn a pile of blankets and two dining room chairs into a fort in 3 minutes flat. He and I would would take a walk down by the stream and the next thing you knew we were on the look out for storm troopers or wild Indians (Don't know how he got both those groups together, but he was only 7).
To date he has never assaulted anyone, robbed a liquor store or beat up either grandmother.
He has turned out to be one heck of a swimmer, and soccer player and earns money as a lifeguard and a soccer ref.
“girle man riding with a helmet on”
Apparently being a man means splattering your brains on the road
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
How many cases of splattering brains have you heard of.
Helmets for bicyclists is a fairly new ‘rule’. However since few if any states have a LAW requiring adults to use them, the freedom of choice is a ‘good’ thing.
Of course my ‘favorite’ site is a 40ish man dressed in Spandex riding a bike with his helmet...then again, it is easier to ‘take’ rather than some legislation forcing the helmet. WE MUST DRAW THE LINE THOUGH IF FORCED TO WEAR SPANDEX. <: <:
I was talking to my daughter yesterday and the ex wife was there and I made a reference to the stupidity of the teacher that called Police in PA because of the theme to a TV show.
X thought it was perfectly natural.
I also brought up the incident of the BB gun in the woods and the X also thought that was a perfectly normal thing.
I ‘walked’ away from her (X) when she mentioned a kid should get suspended for wearing his Brothers USMC sweat shirt - not because the sweat shirt was not part of the school ‘uniform’, but because it depicted violence.
I have never asked (for obvious reasons and I have a ‘short fuse’) but I would venture to say she (X) voted for obozo. That is if she got off her derriere and took the trouble to vote - In essence she is one of those that ‘rather than waste a vote’ would rather sit around and moan and groan over what was going on....
She is the eptitome of telling someone “If you don’t vote, STFU, you gave away your ‘right’ to complain”/
Now this thing about Military garb is really ironic seeing as how she ‘took a check’ from DOD for 30+ years and, oh yes, she is one of the ones that believe the DOD Civilians rate the same ‘medals and awards’ as the Military because “WE are doing the same job”.
In case one might wonder (or care) I am NOT bitter with X because of any settlement etc, it was an uncontested D after 40 yrs.
My only regret is marrying her in the 1st place though I did end up with a couple of fine daughters and 5 grandchildren.
Which despite her ‘shortcomings’, she did a fine job of raising etc... I was present on on scene, but left the rearing to her, I just had to do the ‘heavy lifting’.
Please do not send messages to my ping page.
Feel completely free to comment in any way you wish about any of my posts, however, please do not ping me. I have made this request numerous times.
My five-year-old boys are in the other room right now playing with Barbies AND G.I. Joes (the retro 12” type) in their Joe & Barbie castle that I made for them (because I couldn’t stand having a PINK dollhouse around). I’m very happy that they think the Barbies & Joes are *married* and having families. I think that’s great, compared to all the unmarried examples we see all through our culture. (BTW, the Joes and *constantly* having to defend the castle from enemies of all kinds, particularly ogres and other monsters. Pretty cute. ;o)
GI Joe isn't a doll. It's an action figure. BIG difference.
You are failing to see that the boys are not interested in playing with them as the girls would like, yet still want to play with the girls and not leave their friends. So, rather than engage in play that they would prefer not to, they make it into what suits them.
They clearly know the difference, it is a choice to them
In some states the bill for each chid per year is well over $10,000, citizens should care. You, and the rest of us, are paying for all that waste.
In some states the bill for each child per year is well over $10,000, citizens should care. You, and the rest of us, are paying for all that waste.
If parents are truly worried about making sure their children conform to gender stereotypes at all times, perhaps it’s the parents who aren’t quite comfortable with themselves.
Left alone, kids will play with what they want to play with. The best “thing” to play with is a bunch of brothers and sisters! This also helps them learn to care for babies/younger children.
My brother used to hang my dolls by the neck over the stair railing.
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