Boi Growing Up

I was, afterwards, ashamed of a thought in my head while my 4 year old nephew was playing with his little piano toy. It was some Cheetah Girls pink leopard spotted thing with songs from the movie amd a microphone. The first thing in my head was “Why did my sister buy this girly thing for him? Couldn’t they find some blue piano with songs?” Then it was “How can I stop my little nephew from playing with such a girly looking toy?” I am a horrible individual. Especially identifying within the LGTBQ community, I lose extra points in the karma circle of goodness.

Yes, I saw the movie when I was a kid.

Yes, I realize it’s probably a “cheetah” print and not a leopard.

I will admit that on an initial reaction, although I didn’t display it outward, I was an asshole. I caught myself on the second thought though. He was having his fun chilling on the floor mock-singing along to the songs. To him, from what I observed, it was just a toy. Just a toy playing music. Just a toy playing music that had a microphone to spout randomness into. Nothing more, nothing less.

I was the judging adult adding all these subtexts who deemed a child’s toy that was doing no harm as inappropriate because of some colors.

I know a toy is a toy. Both a boy and girl can play with toy cars. Both a boy and girl can get one of them oven thingies because they like to cook stuff. A girl can like blue, a boy can like pink. I have defended this logic of gender equality over and over with an understanding in my head that if I had to deal with it personally I’d be the same way.

Guess my brain hesitated a bit.

I wonder why adults feel the need to lock kids into what they feel the child should be. I mean, we do agree that women can grow up and not be stuck at home in a kitchen right? Why is it that we limit kids growing up to what we feel they should have recreation with instead of letting them enjoy whatever because it’s fun and puts a smile on their face. My nephew wasn’t hurting himself or anybody else with that piano and I almost interrupted his good time because of an ancient, irrelevant judgement of what’s “proper”.

I just feel that kids should be left to choose what they want to enjoy. Yeah we should steer their choices away from things that are unsafe, but not hold them back in defining who they are and what they want. There should be no shame that a boy wants his piano pink. A girl shouldn’t be told “it’s too boyish” to want to play with a basketball instead of going to dance class. It’ll happen anyway because adults now keep a preconceived notion of what boys and girls should do and then that idea is passed down.

I was a momentary unaccepting individual who made a harsh differentiation between the 2 genders that goes against a position I stand for and for that, I am sorry.

There’s a lot of learning when you’re growing up into an adult. I am only 24 years old. A brand new 24 actually. So much of the world I want to understand. And like any optimist, so much I wish I could change.

Til next time. Stay frosty.