Are dolls appropriate for boys? Are trucks appropriate for girls? What does it really mean when children before the age of 3 play with toys of the opposite sex?
Examples that were shown in the textbook, Biological Psychology 11th edition, : were that infants between the ages of 3 to 8 months were placed in front of sex dominant toys such as dolls and trucks and noticed that girls looked at dolls and that boys look at both equally.
Studies suggest that prenatal hormones, especially testosterone, alter the brain in ways that influence differences between boys and girls in their activities and interests.
I agree that toy preferences are not just determined by hormones, I believe that parents influence the preference of toys predetermining from their own childhood activities and or instruction.
I believe that children are taught to choose toys by the parents and coming from having a boy as my first child and a baby girl the second I choose the toys and books that each one receives and enjoys all the time.
I make sure that children see toys that are appropriate for their individual sex unconsciously. That does not mean that I do not allow for my children to choose for themselves, but I know for a fact that I do this.
I choose this video and the article to explain that all the genetic or hormone theory have important reasons to believe that children may be predetermined in a certain way or that children are programmed in certain way to their sexual preference later on in life, BUT I also believe that it has a lot to do with child rearing during anyone's life.
I do believe that is both child rearing and due to hormones. But it is really strange how and infant 3 to 8 months can even distinguish what is for them to play with. Looking at the video I wondered why the child wouldn't just look towards a doll because it reminds them of the figures (people) they see every day? And that they might just look towards the doll because girls seem to be just more mature and understand this more than baby boys.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I still question that from time to time. You see, my little sister is 6 years old, while my little brother is only 3. In their play room they have all their toys in there, so my mother and I don't usually focus on separating the girl toys from the boy toys. Whenever any of us decides to buy another toy for either of them, we always have to consider buying the other child as well (neither one feels left out). The problem we have with this is that if you buy a toy for one of them, you have to get the EXACT one for the other, I mean literally right down to the same color. Now you might think this problem usually starts with my little brother, but actually it's my little sister. If she gets a doll, my brother doesn't care, but if he gets lets say a toy truck with a remote control, surprisingly my little sister will CON him into giving his toy to her. Yeah she can be a little sneaky sometimes. Overall, I would notice my little sister playing with boy toys 75% of the time and I would rarely catch my little brother with a doll in his hand. To my conclusion, I believe their hormones are just the same as any other child. Though my mother and I do pay attention to what they're playing with (little child rearing), is it safe to say that there is nothing to be concerned about?
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