I really try not to with my son. I think if I had a daughter I would be the same exact way too. Its really important to me not to categorize kids by their gender!
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I want my son to be able to take care of himself and those around him, my goal would be the same if I had a daughter, so some of the things around him are play kitchens and doll strollers. He also has a tool box. They are what I would call "real life" colors, in that they're not pink or blue, they're the colors of real tools, strollers and kitchens.
eta: He's 3.5 and he's already told me that pink is for girls and purple is for boys and he gets really upset if you tell him that he can't have the pink toy. So, I try to just say that every color is for every one. Same with physical characteristics like stregnth, roughness, gentleness, etc.
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Honestly.... I don't really give a crap. I just let her do what she wants. She happens to LIKE dolls, tutus, princesses and the color pink. She's already fascinated by glitter and makeup. She also loves playing with tools and cars and legos. Screwdrivers are pretty much her favorite thing right now.
I'm not going to tell her she can't wear a tutu because that's too girly and Im not going to tell her she can't play with a screwdriver because it's a boy toy. So if that is "not pushing gender roles", then yeah, I don't. Other than that... meh.
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you really can't stop it as they get older. most boys get into superheroes and girls get into princesses even if you never buy a single toy. they learn it all at school.
that said, i am trying to raise olive like a tomboy just because i'm one. she is pretty tough and i can't wait to put her in martial arts. and i love that charlie loves drawing more than anything... even more than superheroes!
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I don't really think about this but LO seems to like"girly" stuff" at the moment.
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@loveisstrange: same as you.
I put her in dresses and lots of pink when she was an infant because *I* love dressing her up and pink is my favorite color. She's over 2 years old now and is very vocal about what she likes and doesn't - she likes her "pretty princess dresses" but only if they're blue
She hates pink. She's really into the "traditional" girly stuff like Disney princesses and pretending like she's a mommy to her baby dolls. She likes to wear my high heels around the house and imitates me putting on make up. But she also loves more traditionally boyish toys like trains (she's obsessed w/Thomas), toolsets, trucks, cars, etc. I just let her do/play with whatever she wants. If it's trucks, that's fine. If it's princesses, that's fine, too. I don't think very hard about it
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I'm going to try not to, but I know a lot of things will be pushed onto them through their peers when they're in school. I do want to raise my daughter to be self-sufficient/handy though. I think it was a huge asset to me when my parents taught me that.
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@loveisstrange: same..
I will let him do whatever he likes. He's never been in daycare/school or played much with other boys- thus no outside influence- yet he loves trucks, tractors, dinosaurs, sports, etc. He just likes them a lot. Then again, he also loved the color pink. And I don't care- whatever makes him happy! So I don't push anything- I just let him enjoy what he wants.
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I have boys. I've taught D how to do his laundry and he helps me bake. But, he likes boy toys and gets offended if you offer anything girly, so I go with that.
I just don't want them to be helpless if they live alone. Or expect a girl to do these things for him.
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@Dandelion: ditto! I want them to be well rounded! Both kids should know how to cook and both kids should know how to change a tire! (eventually anyway
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We don't really try one way or the other. DS is drawn towards anything with wheels so he has a lot of cars/trucks/tractors and he has been gifted tool sets so likes to fix things. But he also plays with his kitchen and shopping cart often. DH loves to cook and is looking forward to N getting old enough to help him out with that.
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@Dandelion: I have a girl, but same concept! My dad taught us how to use a hammer, change a tire, rake leaves, cut the grass, etc. to me, those are things everyone should know, and I will be teaching them to LO!
More than gender-specific things, I want to try to avoid branded toys. To me, that is a bigger issue than gender-specific ones. But we will try to follow her lead as to what she likes/doesn't like.
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I have a 2-year old boy. I don't think I deliberately push gender roles, but to be honest, I probably do it without knowing. For example, I don't think I would buy him pink shirts to wear (not that children's clothing stores offer pink for boys anyway), or I may probably frown a little if he picks a princess pink toy in the store. And we did sign him up for a short soccer class in summer.
He geared towards the boy things by himself anyway. He has 6-8 stuffed animals in his crib, but he never really cared for any of them. He would ask for a bus or a train to accompany him to sleep, and he's obsessed with trains. I do ask him to help me cook (which he showed interest for a while but he's in the not-interested-in-cooking phase), and he helps me wipe the table and counter some times.
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I try not to, but probably do on some levels. He definitely has more boy toys and really loves trains and trucks and those kinds of typically boy things, but he also LOVES pink. He wore two different pink tee shirts today and anytime I give him a choice of something (ice cream, tooth brush color, slippers, etc.) he always chooses pink. I would actually buy him more pink clothing, but it is hard to find in the boy aisle and a lot of pink girl things seem to scream princess.
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It's funny, last night, DH and I were talking about this during bedtime routine. Both of us have no intention of pushing gender roles on LO and a future kid. Neither of us were bothered when LO played in the Barbie aisle or pushed around the pink cart at Target.
His clothes are gendered. I wish I could find more neutrals. When I found out that we were having a boy, I was a little disappointed by the lack of cool boy clothes. I was seriously wrong. I love dressing him. If we have a girl the second time around, she'll wear LO's clothes and won't always be in pink and bows.
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I don't really worry about it at this point; she's just 1 and into *everything*. However, I do realize that if I try to avoid "gender roles" too much, then i'm basically just doing the opposite, right? Forcing boy stuff on a little girl is just the same as all girly stuff on a little girl, IMO. I'd rather just let her lead.
I'm still gonna keep slapping bows on her head until she refuses, though
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I have a 2 year old and to be honest, I've never thought about this. I choose his clothes, which are definitely boyish. Most of his favorite toys are puzzles, which are gender neutral. He loves cars, airplanes and trucks. We also have him in swimming and tumbling. Maybe I'm old fashion, but he's a boy so I treat him like a boy. But that's my decision, I think the good thing with parenting is you can choose to raise your child however you see fit.
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@lamariniere: I love DH in pink, so I say he has good taste
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My daughter (after my most recent shopping spree for her) has quite a few boys clothes now. And shoes. I find boys clothes and shoes a lot more practical for the outdoorsy things we like to do.
I don't think we consciously push gender roles on her, but I've noticed I do say a lot of things to encourage her to be more feminine, or what is culturally normal for girls (ie "don't be so bossy", and asking her to comfort someone who is hurt, or "what a nice little girl"). She has her own preference for dolls and babies, and apparently ponies. Not by my encouragement.
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Interesting thread...saw this on Cup of Jo today!
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I expose him to a lot of both sides but mostly I just try to step aside and let him be who he is. I think when he is older it will become more clear. Now the choices of how he dressed and what he plays with are mostly mine but I never push anything on him that he doesn't like. I don't think it's good out too much thought into it either way.
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@citymouse: I love that story so much!
She hates pink. She's really into the "traditional" girly stuff like Disney princesses and pretending like she's a mommy to her baby dolls. She likes to wear my high heels around the house and imitates me putting on make up. 
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