My 5 yr old son loves to dress up like a princess.He plays with girls, should I make him play w/ boys?
So that he understands how to play like a boy?
17 Responses to My 5 yr old son loves to dress up like a princess.He plays with girls, should I make him play w/ boys?
pumpkin5156
September 10, 2011 at 1:56 am
He’s fine! I have a boy and he plays with dolls and has lots of girls friends. kids are just curious I think. Does he have an interest in cars, trucks, bikes, etc? I only ask b/c if not, then don’t force them on him. Kids like what they like, just like we like what we like.
I have a young er sibling who was like this with two old sister and one older brother he preferred dress’s and pretending he had hair whilst dancing to shakira etc, he then turned about 6 or 7 and now loves boys toys trucks etc and chasing girls it just a faze i’m sure he’ll be fine you have nothing to stress about.
You know kids do their own thing all the time. I have a son who is curious about make-up and stuff (he’s 2). But sometimes they grow out of that. I am scared of my kids being gay, but at the same time it doesn’t bother me. My mom and brother are both gay. My mom could tell my brother was going to be gay because of the way he acted. But who cares if he is…he seems to have a creative imagination, a lot of boys go throug this stage and it is nothing to worry about.
Let him play with what and who he wants. he will make his own mind up in time. And, quite probably, when he does turn to boy things, he will be more sensitive towards girls.
I’m guessing the children he usually plays with are all girls? My son’s friends are all girls, and he does this too, when he’s playing at their houses, but at home, we have trucks and footballs, and he loves to play with those, too.
When my brother was little, the two kids he played with most was my sister and the girl my mom babysat, who were each 2 years older than him, so he usually played the little games that they came up with, including dress-up.
He’s 13 now, and he’s just fine. Playing ‘girl’ games when you’re little doesn’t make a boy any more feminine or ‘gay’ than his very own nature would have been anyway.
well as a 17 year old guy i had a few thoughts about it… i would maybe steer him towards other pastimes…but i really wouldnt worry to much about it…I myself admit that as a 5-7 year old would do that same thing..often wondering what it was like to be a "mom". sometimes take a shirt way to big for me and use it as a dress and the teddy bears as "kids" now 10 years later im a normal guy(100% Straight) and i love girls but wouldnt ever dream of being one..lol
also that was a very small amount of time that i played that way though… MOST of the time i would play Cowboys an Indians with guns, slings, cars, and regular toys and guy stuff
I think I’d be encouraging more masculine play… my friends boy is 2 and has 4 older sisters and they were painting his nails and toe nails and he used to hate it and theyd have to bribe him or trick him into it… how he carrys around the nailpolish asking all the girls to paint his nails…
Don’t worry. At this age they aren’t associating with one gender or the other. It is just fine that he plays with girls and dresses up..even if it is as a princess. I think it’s great that he is playing with them and playing what they want to play. It shows he can share their interests which is a huge step for a toddler of any gender. Not only that it teaches boys what girls like and do and visa versa with girls. This is a life long lesson that will help them when they have kids of their own. Teaches a boy he can cook and play dolls with his daughter and a girl she can fix her car and work play cars with her son. I just came across a GREAT resource addressing this very topic. Hope this helps!
Give him a gun. The bigger the better. Make sure it goes booooom! I am not being sarcastic Your son also needs a male role model. A hero type. Show him John Wayne movies if you have too. Get him to church. A good Bible-believing Baptist church where men still look, act and smell like men.
rather then making him play with boys, make sure that a wide variety of play equipment is available.
try not to label things as girl toys or boy toys as this will cause your son to feel guilty and confused. instead, let him play with whatever and who ever he likes.
don’t take this the wrong way please, but we have a chance to eliminate sexism with our children through how we educated them.
While he is probably okay with what he is doing, he should also have male contacts.
At five years old he should be in a school setting. There should be plenty of boys for him to make friends. I would encourage him to make friends with other boys.
You didn’t mention his father. His father should be a major influence in developing his male image. I would also have him spend some play time with his father. His father should help him with playing sports, outdoor activities, and just play time with toys that boys normally enjoy.
He’s fine! I have a boy and he plays with dolls and has lots of girls friends. kids are just curious I think. Does he have an interest in cars, trucks, bikes, etc? I only ask b/c if not, then don’t force them on him. Kids like what they like, just like we like what we like.
I dont think you should force him but talk to him and let him know certain things are for girls and try to get him to do more boy things
I have a young er sibling who was like this with two old sister and one older brother he preferred dress’s and pretending he had hair whilst dancing to shakira etc, he then turned about 6 or 7 and now loves boys toys trucks etc and chasing girls it just a faze i’m sure he’ll be fine you have nothing to stress about.
Good Luck
You know kids do their own thing all the time. I have a son who is curious about make-up and stuff (he’s 2). But sometimes they grow out of that. I am scared of my kids being gay, but at the same time it doesn’t bother me. My mom and brother are both gay. My mom could tell my brother was going to be gay because of the way he acted. But who cares if he is…he seems to have a creative imagination, a lot of boys go throug this stage and it is nothing to worry about.
Let him play with what and who he wants. he will make his own mind up in time. And, quite probably, when he does turn to boy things, he will be more sensitive towards girls.
I’m guessing the children he usually plays with are all girls? My son’s friends are all girls, and he does this too, when he’s playing at their houses, but at home, we have trucks and footballs, and he loves to play with those, too.
When my brother was little, the two kids he played with most was my sister and the girl my mom babysat, who were each 2 years older than him, so he usually played the little games that they came up with, including dress-up.
He’s 13 now, and he’s just fine. Playing ‘girl’ games when you’re little doesn’t make a boy any more feminine or ‘gay’ than his very own nature would have been anyway.
well as a 17 year old guy i had a few thoughts about it… i would maybe steer him towards other pastimes…but i really wouldnt worry to much about it…I myself admit that as a 5-7 year old would do that same thing..often wondering what it was like to be a "mom". sometimes take a shirt way to big for me and use it as a dress and the teddy bears as "kids" now 10 years later im a normal guy(100% Straight) and i love girls but wouldnt ever dream of being one..lol
also that was a very small amount of time that i played that way though… MOST of the time i would play Cowboys an Indians with guns, slings, cars, and regular toys and guy stuff
I think I’d be encouraging more masculine play… my friends boy is 2 and has 4 older sisters and they were painting his nails and toe nails and he used to hate it and theyd have to bribe him or trick him into it… how he carrys around the nailpolish asking all the girls to paint his nails…
My 3 year old son’s favorite color is pink. He will only wear pink clothing, including matching underwear. He is totally boy – I wouldn’t worry.
he’s normal -stop making your neurosis part of his life.
Don’t worry. At this age they aren’t associating with one gender or the other. It is just fine that he plays with girls and dresses up..even if it is as a princess. I think it’s great that he is playing with them and playing what they want to play. It shows he can share their interests which is a huge step for a toddler of any gender. Not only that it teaches boys what girls like and do and visa versa with girls. This is a life long lesson that will help them when they have kids of their own. Teaches a boy he can cook and play dolls with his daughter and a girl she can fix her car and work play cars with her son. I just came across a GREAT resource addressing this very topic. Hope this helps!
Give him a gun. The bigger the better. Make sure it goes booooom! I am not being sarcastic Your son also needs a male role model. A hero type. Show him John Wayne movies if you have too. Get him to church. A good Bible-believing Baptist church where men still look, act and smell like men.
I think he sounds really cool.
It really does not matter. He very well could out grow this in a few years. If he does not who cares he is still your child.
rather then making him play with boys, make sure that a wide variety of play equipment is available.
try not to label things as girl toys or boy toys as this will cause your son to feel guilty and confused. instead, let him play with whatever and who ever he likes.
don’t take this the wrong way please, but we have a chance to eliminate sexism with our children through how we educated them.
yes
While he is probably okay with what he is doing, he should also have male contacts.
At five years old he should be in a school setting. There should be plenty of boys for him to make friends. I would encourage him to make friends with other boys.
You didn’t mention his father. His father should be a major influence in developing his male image. I would also have him spend some play time with his father. His father should help him with playing sports, outdoor activities, and just play time with toys that boys normally enjoy.