Dear Target,
There has been quite the reaction to your decision to change the toy aisles from the overstimulating blue and pink to a calmer yellow. To remove the label “Boy” or “Girl” from the toys. Some say you are going against the way God created these boys and girls to behave. Some just think you are trying to please the LGBT community. Some think you are stupid.
I think it’s good. Because I want my kids to learn some things and you are helping make that process a little easier:
I want my boys to learn that it’s okay if a boy’s favorite color is pink, or a girl’s favorite color is blue.- I want my boys to learn that girls can build awesome buildings, become sharp-shooters with nerf guns, and can love Rescue Bots as much as they do.
- I want my boys to learn that boys can cook mouthwatering meals, clean the house like a boss, and nurture a child.
- I want my boys to learn that just as they play on the same playground at school, they can play with other boys and girls over toy kitchens, tool sets, and art supplies.
- I want my boys to learn that a girl can be a crazy good mechanic like their daddy and that boys can be fantastic teachers like <ahem> myself. 😉
- I want my boys to learn that there is no one right way to be a boy. That kids come in a multitude of expressions and colors because that’s how God made them.
Your simple change, removing the colors and labels from your aisles is making this lesson a bit easier. Now it is less alarming to walk down the aisle that has a few dolls in it, because it is not hot pink. (My boys like green, by the way, not blue. The yellow choice is awesome.) Now my kids feel a bit more free to explore some more options that might appeal to them, simply because it is no longer off limits to them.
So, thanks. Thanks for making it a little easier to raise my boys up to be the men I hope they will become.
Now can you spread the word to the manufacturers of the toys? Some of them could learn from you.
Sincerely,
Leah
A Boy-Mom
This post is part of the larger Five Minute Friday community found on Kate Motaung’s blog. We write, for five minutes, together. No major edits. No second guesses, just writing to connect, to grow, to be. We would love to see you there.
This week’s writing prompt: Learn
Visiting from FMF. Great job! I always told my girls they could be whatever they wanted … no restrictions. My boys tend to be the cooks in their families.
Thanks, Joe! I hope my boys wind up the cooks, though I’m not sure who they’ll learn it from. 😉 My parents taught me I could be anything and it brought me places I know I would never have gone otherwise. The messages our kids pick up affect them for far longer than we realize. For better or for worse!
I love this post and love that Target is making these changes. Another reason why I’ll always prefer Target over other storrs. I’m parked in the #12 spot this week.
Thanks, Tara! Me too. It’s where you can find me roaming when I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. 😉 Thanks for stopping by and reading and commenting!
I love this. So simple, so not reactive, so positive. Thank you.
Thank you. And thanks for reading, Esther!
Loved your post. I’m a great believer in the thought that much of the prejudices we hold as a society (and as individuals) are a result of the way marketing/advertising/media forces us to think. I’m all for any change (however seemingly so small: choice of aisle colour!) that allows individuals to feel they’re more able to express themselves. Wouldn’t the world be a wonderful, wonderful, much BETTER place if everyone felt able to express their true selves? I’d love to live in THAT world! [Great post. Loved it. Thank you] {A FMF friend}
Yes. Its true. And it would be. My boys only recently started seeing commercials (at my parents’ house) and they believe every word the marketers spit out at them. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by!
Wonderful post! I’m a boy mom as well (a 3 year old and a 10 month old) and though my toddler tends to gravitate towards “boy toys” (trucks, trains, dinos, etc.), we also bought him a play kitchen when he was 18 months old that he still plays with to this day. And at his preschool open house today, he flitted between playing with the tools and work bench and the dollhouse. And I didn’t bat an eye. 🙂
My firstborn fell in love with cars when he was 6 months old – and not at my initiative. Some boys do have that draw naturally, but I love it when he plays with the few dolls we have. Thanks for reading and sharing a bit of your life with me!
Hah! Leah! (Sorry….don’t want it to seem like I’m stalking you…)….but I hadn’t realised, as I read your comment on Kate’s blog that you’re ‘Target Leah’…..(from this post, the post I loved at FMF this week!)….
LOL! That’s hilarious!! Love it.