Sophie has discovered Chloe’s old Barbie dolls. It’s appalling. But I’m going to keep as calm about it as I can. If all goes well, Sophie will know (and will be repeating to others) that I don’t approve of that ridiculous doll. But for now, I’m cool.
She wanted to play “dolls” earlier. That’s her newest thing – to play dolls. Where she got that from, I have no idea. Perhaps from Monday visits with her friends at her babysitter’s house. I’ll have to find out if the other little girls talk about playing dolls. It’s certainly not from Chloe.
I tried to keep the Barbie episode lighthearted – the Ken and two Barbies danced and shook their booties to a silly made-up song. But inside, I was a wreck. She’s a girly girl. Her favorite color is pink. She has taken to looking at herself in the mirror when she’s wearing a skirt, admiring herself and exclaiming, “I’m beautiful.”
Have to give her credit – she’s developing a good self-image. And it certainly is endearing when she says, “Look in miwah…I’m bootiful.” But Barbie? I’m thinking it might be time to inaugurate the fireplace. It’s a little late in the season, but I’d wager that Barbies make great kindling.
A few years ago, in an effort to show Chloe that toy trucks aren’t just for boys, my mother bought her a
Hess toy truck for the holidays. It’s really cool – a big semi that holds two speedy racecars with reverse friction motors. Chloe was amused by it for a bit, and then we relegated it to the basement when she tired of its play quotient.
We took it out again for Sophie’s enjoyment, and I’m happy to report that she thinks it’s the coolest thing since no-crust sliced bread. Especially those little cars. This morning we spent some time playing racecar roly-poly, zooming the car back and forth to each other. “Awesome!” she exclaimed (of course, when I asked her to repeat the word, since it was the first time I had heard her use it, she refused with a big self-satisfied grin). We had a grand old time together.
Hess annually releases a new collectible truck for the holidays, and this year’s model is a monster truck with two motorcycles. The name of the truck is particularly
a propos, given our little Sophie’s sometimes monstrous behavior, so I plan to buy it in order to further inculcate our little one in the importance of not falling prey to gender stereotypes. The lesson won’t be coming too soon. A few minutes after our truck bonding experience, she was brushing the hair of the figurines in Chloe’s
My Little Pony collection. Oh, well. At least her interests are varied.
A Mom's Ramblings About the Marvels & Mishaps of Parenting, the Joys of Family Travel & the Writing Life
