Norah News: Here Comes Barbie!

I bought Norah a Barbie house and assorted accessories for Christmas this year.  I didn’t buy the “I want to be an Engineer” Barbie either, she has ballerina Barbies and fancy dress Barbies – no Engineer, Vet, Geologist or other “feminist” Barbies.  I don’t consider myself a feminist, but I am a female in a typically male dominated field and I don’t want her to ever think she can’t do the same – whether it’s Engineering or some other field. 

I read a lot about marketing to kids, especially girls, I’m admittedly hyper sensitive to some of it.  I love web sites like pinkstinks and towards the stars, I buy gender neutral toys when possible (in part because I have a son and a daughter) and I don’t flinch when Roddie wants to dance, or play house, or comfort the baby dolls.

The reality is, Norah LIKES pink and purple, she LIKES ballet, and dresses, sparkly shoes…and Barbie.  She also happens to like camping, soccer, trains, blocks, riding on the lawn tractor, checking out bugs and she’s “going to wait until she is 6 and a half” to decide if she would prefer hockey or figure skating.  The latest craze in our house, for both kids, is building a school bus from wooden chairs and playing with a set of old-fashioned wooden blocks we picked up at a yard sale.  They love to use their imagination, and I don’t want to take away from that.

We don’t really buy all that many toys, and when we do, I really try hard to buy things that they will really like – and not just another thing.  They mostly do great with anything that involves their imagination, and often use toys to represent other things in their pretend play.  It’s hard at times, especially at Christmas.  Norah seems to really enjoy the Barbies she does have, and Roddie has no interest, at least at this point, so it feels like something special, just for her.  I have to trust that she will be smart enough and we will guide her enough to know that Barbie, like Lalaloopsy, Polly Pockets, Smurfs and others are not real and have no bearing on how she should view herself.  There will be a lot stronger influences in her lift than a plastic doll and what she really needs to understand is to think for herself.  I don’t see Barbie, in any of her incarnations, affecting that one way or the other – that’s all us.

So for us, toys, as in life, all things in moderation.  Bring on the Barbies, Santa!