"Is it okay to let my son play with a baby doll?"
Parenting and educating kids can be a challenging job. A book or parenting course will not show you how to raise your child with 100% accuracy – the details come themselves in time.
Almost all parents face the problem of an educational pattern when it comes to gender roles. Mostly, our actions are based on our own experience and childhood, and we forget that the world has changed and stereotypes are fading away constantly.
A frequently discussed topic is “can boys play with a baby doll?” and we have our opinion on this one.
Is it “healthy” at all?
First things first – yes. Let’s leave moral and stereotypical issues and talk a little about physiology.
Playing with baby dolls helps our kids to develop fine motor skills. Dressing, making hair, feeding, bathing – these actions require fine motor skills, and, afterward, kids learn how to take care of themselves. Buttons, snaps, and zippers on a doll’s clothes will make your kid familiar with buttons, snaps, and zippers on his own clothing. Little toy cutlery will soon teach your kid to use “adult” spoons and forks.
The other important aspect of playing with baby dolls is the development of articulation. During the game, the kid remembers the way his parents talk to him while feeding, and bathing and he repeats these basic conversations but with the doll.
Empathy development is not just for girls
Many of us heard the older generation’s statement – girls are emotional, boys are rational. Emotional development is an incredibly important part of education, as we all want our kids to be happy and mentally healthy. This empathy stereotype fades away nowadays, and playing with dolls can help to encourage parents to teach both – girls and boys – to be caring and never be afraid of any emotions.
Caring for a doll shows boys how to be more sympathetic, especially with friends who are smaller, and how to take care of them.
Imagination and creativity as the base of brain development
Kids are making big steps into the world of society constantly. Playing with dolls encourages them to imagine different environments – house, kindergarten, school – all they see they turn into a game. Interacting helps to reduce the level of stress in the future and makes kids get into a “big game” easier.
Pretend play helps your kid to change roles and “try on” different situations, demanding various emotions and feelings, even difficult ones. So, they can work it through and explore life by being more prepared.
The dozens of other reasons why boys have to play with dolls too are left unrevealed today. Nevertheless, we must admit that the most important ones above can help you to understand the significance behind a small role play.
