girl roles-playing princess, etc.

[shootingstar]

My brother-in-law hopes for his 18-month daughter that she will not hanker for the current Disney-marketed trend of playing princess..in terms of costumes, parties, etc. He doesn't even like overtly bright pink clothing for little girls.

Not sure what he is worried about if he's concerned about any possible (unhealthy?) obsession of uber princess identity for daughter. Probably worried about the cost. I'm sure the my sister-mother will ensure daughter won't get carried away.

I wasn't aware of this consumer-driven fad. But another sister told me her 7 yr. old daughter was recently invited to a princess party.

P.S. Ok, I'm not a parent.
Just an aunt to several nieces (24 yrs., 7 yrs. and 18 months) and nephews from 3 sisters. But I did grow up in female dominant family (in terms of sheer numbers) since I have 4 sisters and 1 brother.

So have seen phases of how little girls try on different roles /clothing/playing based on their temporary (?) whims.

[VeloVT]

meh. I was a ballet dancer and a tomboy. she'll work it out for herself.

[Cataboo]

My half brother didn't want to raise a girly girl. She wasn't allowed to wear pink, wear dresses, play with barbie dolls, whatever. REsult was whatever she did have, she'd pretend was a baby doll - even if it was the cat. At a school charity sale when she was 5 or 6, she used her saved money to buy herself a barbie doll... which my half brother promptly trashed when she brought it home.

All she ever wanted to wear to school was dresses and pink.

I don't think he actually got anywhere with all his anti-girly-girl efforts...

My sister's daughter is in the disney princess phase and has been for the last 4 years or something. I think it was dora the explorer before that. I make sure to buy her 1 educational/something I think she'd like gift & 1 princess type gift for her birthday/christmas.

I have friends that did the no tv and no disney thing - that sorta works until the kids get into school and start going over to their friends house.

I vaguely remember playing dress up, possibly ocassionally playing princess - but nothing like what little girls seem to do now... but I was more of a tom boy.

[papaver]

Let kids be what they want to be.

[BalaRoja]

Let kids be what they want to be.

+10000

[Crankin]

Yes, there is research that proves that boys are hardwired to pick up that stick and pretend it's a gun.
A lot of good my no war toy policy did me. My son who is in the Marines played with those little green toy soldiers for hours, read hundreds of books on military history, and was obsessed with the history channel (still is). I didn't try to stop it and I am glad I didn't.

[smurfalicious]

There's a really interesting book called Pink Think - Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons that talks a lot about this. It's fun reading, you should check it out. You'll learn all about books on bad boys, Dream Date and Lysol as douche!

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Think-Bec...3688182&sr=8-1

[Mr. Bloom]

I may not have always said this. But now, I'd say "let it be".

SilverDaughter was as prissy as any young girl...but with a streak of independence - she'd always wear two different colored socks, but each one matched her dress.

Then, as an early teen, she went through the "nearly goth" phase where everything she wore was black (except her bright red dog collar) This was a challenging time for me...

Then she found "her" look - which is anything but prissy, but very beautiful.

From a social standpoint, I think that the best thing that we can breed into our kids is versatility - an ability to adapt to the situation with comfort.

[papaver]

Then, as an early teen, she went through the "nearly goth" phase where everything she wore was black (except her bright red dog collar) This was a challenging time for me...

My father nearly had a heart attack when I came home with orange hair. They don't call it goth anymore. It's Emo.