@Sara B – that is a tough one. I guess you can make sure you show how fun it is to play with blocks when you’re caring for her. And maybe sign her up for classes your nanny can take her to that have less gendered play? Or encourage mixed gender playdates/play groups.

@Erica S- I love that he has a bear named Little Bear and another named Second Little Bear. I mean, it makes sense, right?

And I forgot to include this little tidbit. My son asked for a kitchen for Christmas one year from my mom (his grandma). Then when she told my grandfather about it, he told her it was a bad idea because boys don’t use kitchens. My lovely mother retorted “Well, Dad, if you had played with a kitchen when you were 4, maybe you’d be able to cook yourself dinner now that your 70.” CLASSIC. This is also the grandfather that told me not to go to medical school because women should be nurses. >:-|

The gender dynamic in our household is pretty evenly split. My husband works from home so he does a fair amount of the housework and is probably the primary parent because of his availability for school drop off and pickup. I think our son has benefited from this. Although our son is really into Hot Wheels cars, trains, dinosaurs, and rough play, he gets equal use out of his play kitchen, doll, and stuffed animals (with which he plays the father figure to a whole host of members, including Doggie, Bear, Little Bear, and Second Little Bear – very original names).

I was very surprised by how gendered his life became when he started Kindergarten this fall. He started referring to certain activities as girl things (like the dance club at after-school) and boy things. We’ve been trying to convince him that there are not really separate boy and girl activities. But other kids on the playground obviously know better than old Mom and Dad! 😉

I forgot to mention that they didn’t seem super gendered either – I bought one of an owl, a couple of holiday ones, and maybe a penguin?

This is our first go-round with child-rearing, but it seems like a great way to start conversations and break down barriers on all sorts of topics is through play!

Thanks, I’ll look for those!

@DVStudent- I took a cross-stitching class around age 10 that I also loved. Of course, now I’m sitting here looking at the cross-stitched stocking I started around THEN that I found, and brought to my office, in the hopes that it would nudge me to pick it up again. Not so much yet.

I echo the small cross stitch kits-I loved them at that age!

If he’s interested in knitting, I also remember my grandmother teaching me with a starter needle set and bulkier yarn to make myself scarves and hats.