November 7, 2008

Can I confess?

Okay. Confession Time.

With Christmas looming, the plethora of toy ads coming out has frightened me to the core. Specifically? All of this Pink Plastic Princess Nonsense. Oh sure, when I was a little girl, I was utterly fascinated with royalty - hello! I was an impressionable 10 year old when Charles and Diana were engaged. However, my obsession with princesses was extended to real princesses, not celluloid ones created by the nefarious folks at Disney. As such, I loved reading and learning about history. And I still, to this day, enjoy reading about monarchies around the world. It is a guilty pleasure, to be sure. Although, as an adult some of the fascination results from the disbelief that the sheer chance of DNA usually dictates who gets to be royalty. But still.....

So...... um, no. I am not a tomboy hellbent on pushing my daughter in that direction. Oh yes, I do love me some dolls, play kitchens, doll houses and yes, even Barbie (I still insist that my first college boyfriend did more to ruin my own view of my body than Barbie ever could have.) I cannot wait until Anjali can help pick out her clothes when we shop. I look forward to painting our toenails together. I will gleefully grant permission when she requests to have her ears pierced. I am so excited for that day when she lets me put hair fixin's in her rat's nest without pulling them out.

I do, however, have an irrational fear all of this Pink Plastic Princess Nonsense and wonder how I can keep my baby girl from ever finding about it. I suspect resistance is futile. What is your worst Toy Fear? Am I just crazy here?

Wait. Do not answer that.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fight! Fight against it with all you have in you!
My daughter is 4 and totally non-discerning. I ask her what she wants for Christmas and she just turns the pages on the toy catalog and points to everything that is pink. Imagine my relief this year - she has also asked for a "Man Barbie". Something she owns will be of another color.

MB said...

I am SO tired of people telling my daughter she "looks like a princess." That word is forbidden!

Read this NY Times article - you'll love it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/magazine/24princess.t.html

Unknown said...

I couldn't agree with you more. And I have absolutely no idea why I'm not plagued with this problem. My older two girls are into horses (and not the princessy kind) cars, dinosaurs, and playing in the dirt. Neither one of them picks up a baby doll but once or twice a year, and we have one lone Barbie that someone gave us years ago that sits at the bottom of a toy box.

My bet? My third daughter will be the girly girl I've always feared...

Anonymous said...

I had to answer for 2 reasons, one I'm sick of the plastic crap and two, the toys that I'm afraid of are the ones I try to throw away in secret but every time someone bumps the bag or sits it down, it starts making noises....my question is, how come the batteries will last in those blasted toys for years on end but the toys the kids like are battery eating mosters

Mamma Sarah said...

Ugh! I'm dreading this. Luckily Mackenzie has an attachment to her brother's trucks already. :-D I would buck the trend if at all possible and introduce other things that spark some light in those beautiful eyes.

I honestly can't say I have any toy fears other than the toys that require batteries and do all the "acting" for you. Alex enjoys the musical kinds, but really doesn't like the sounds that he can make himself.

P.s. My name means princess and I certainly didn't have all that foo foo. I made my own crowns and gowns. :-D