My Toddler Son Likes Pink, Deal With It

GettyImages-523379827I’m mom to two happy, healthy two-year-old boys, and one of them happens to like pink. You would think that by 2015, people would have evolved beyond the point of believing that a toddler’s favorite color has any bearing on their gender identity or sexuality, but people still continue to doubt the fact that dinosaurs existed, so perhaps I place too much stock in humanity.

I suppose it’s my fault. He doesn’t have an older sister around, so it’s not as though I had left over baby gear and decided to be thrifty and use it the second time I got pregnant (though for the record, I totally would have). When my sons were first born, I admit that I bought into the gender norms and dressed them in blues and greens. The sole red sweatshirts they owned had firetrucks on them, least a stranger mistake them for a girl.

But they got older and I started to trust myself and care less what people thought about my parenting skills. When I went to Target for sippy cups or binkies and they only had the “girl” versions, I knew there was no way I’d put on real pants for a second time in one week just to come back in hopes that they’d restocked. So I grabbed what they had. And even though Ikea’s plastic bowls and plates come in all the colors of the rainbow, I bought them anyway. I never thought my kids would care what color their food was served on, but I was wrong.

While his brother is more concerned  with what’s in his cup or on his plate, my color connoisseur is always observing. When I go to put him to bed and he demands a pacifier, he refuses it if it’s not a pink or purple one ( I wonder if he thinks they’re flavored ?). When I’m preparing meals or offering him milk, he has strong preferences for the orange, purple, red and yellow plates and cups and isn’t afraid to throw his 26.7 lbs around if I don’t cater to his whims.

Having been born a preemie, I’m just stoked that he has the cognitive ability and eyesight to distinguish one color from another. He’s too young to understand anything about stereotypical gender norms and that the colors he likes are “girly” ones. I’m not going to try and persuade him towards having a different favorite color, just like I would never try to alter his sexuality, whatever it may be. He’s happy, and that’s what matters.

I didn’t think ahead when I purchased these items to the possibility of a old man in the grocery store whispering a bit too loudly about how I’ve got myself a sissy. I never imagined people would look at his orange and purple snack cup and then look at me, their eyebrows raised questioningly.

I largely ignore these idiots, because I’ve got too much on my plate already to try and change their world view while surrounded by boxes of cereal. Yes, he’s a boy, Yes, he likes pink. If you have a problem with that, it’s not my job to fix it.

(Image: pepmiba/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

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