The economic cost of gendered toys

[Clodfobble]

I think the lesson of Adam Carolla, Undertoad, and countless millions of other children is that you can't change who your children are. Whether you have a touchy-feely girly-girl who cries at dog food commercials, or a rough-and-tumble boy who pretends to blow his friends' faces off, you can't make them more balanced and androgynous any more than you can make your gay kid straight.

[Griff]

... but you can leave the door open for new and different possibilities that the individual child can embrace or reject. Both my girls are good in math and sciences but lack an innate passion for them. In my own life, I've found a few niches that make me happy. One is in the classroom with young children which is a job for the ladies, another is with a saw, and another with a sword. We just have to be sure doors are left open so people are less miserable in their day to day existence.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Griff

... but you can leave the door open for new and different possibilities that the individual child can embrace or reject. Both my girls are good in math and sciences but lack an innate passion for them. In my own life, I've found a few niches that make me happy. One is in the classroom with young children which is a job for the ladies, another is with a saw, and another with a sword. We just have to be sure doors are left open so people are less miserable in their day to day existence.

Beautifully put!

And this is something that matters for boys and girls. And its important for us as a society. Because we don't just risk losing potentially brilliant scientists and engineers from the girl's side of things, we also risk losing potentially brilliant carers, teachers and nurses from the boys side.

And we risk moulding individuals to a set of experiences that don't allow them to fulfil their own personal potential.