Inside: Why don’t we see more photos of boys playing with dolls? Boys who practice nurturing skills grow into caring husbands and fathers, and that’s a good thing.
Have you heard of the Strong Is the New Pretty campaign? A photographer made it her mission to counteract the stereotype that being a girl means being weak – and the photos are amazing.
But what about boys?
Because when we see pictures of young boys in the media, they’re typically shown climbing, playing with cars, and getting dirty. You know, boy stuff.
Very rarely do you see photos of boys pretending to bake cookies, playing dress-up, or shushing a baby doll to sleep.
And yet, many of our sons will grow up to be husbands and fathers. Men who make healthy meals to nourish their families, men who let their daughters dress them up in plastic jewelry and floppy hats, men who perfect the art of shushing a real baby to sleep.
Photo by Jenny Cone at Classroom ClicksWhat Happens When a Boy Plays With Dolls
I know from talking to my friends with boys that their sons love playing with their baby dolls and play kitchens and dress-up clothes. And after countless requests from parents, the American Girl doll company finally released a boy doll. The tide is turning.
So why are we still not seeing more photos of young boys practicing their nurturing skills?
It could be that some people are scared about negative outcomes from boys playing with dolls, so let’s clear the air and look at what actually happens:
- Boys who play with dolls develop empathy.
- As they dress and feed their dolls, boys practice fine motor skills, which is important for kids to learn to do more tasks independently. (Some experts say that giving more opportunities to build fine motor skills is even more important for young kids than practicing letters and numbers.)
- Boys playing with dolls also engage in social-emotional pretend play, which teaches them how to self-regulate big emotions, helps them make sense of the world and how it works, and gives them a chance to practice social skills like cooperating and taking turns.
In other words, boys who play with dolls grow into caring, empathetic people. And that’s something the world always needs more of.
Related: 3 Simple Steps for Teaching Empathy in the Most Authentic Way
It’s Time to Catch Up
We’re fine with a female CEO on the cover of a business magazine, highlighting an article about work-life balance. But what about a photo of a male CEO holding his newborn baby and talking about the importance of parental leave?
We expect new mothers to take time off work to bond with their newborns. But when a male athlete wants to miss a couple games to spend time with his newborn baby and help his wife recover from a C-section, sports commentators are outraged.
We think nothing of a prime-time TV ad showing a girl playing with an engineering toy, but you don’t see TV ads showing a boy playing house.
Maybe it’s time for a “Caring Is the New Strong” campaign to show young boys flexing their empathy muscles. Because caring boys grow into caring husbands and fathers, and nothing could be stronger than that.
Related: 40 Questions That Will Teach Your Kid to Be Kind to Others {Printable}
30 Photos of Boys Playing With Dolls…Because Caring Is the New Strong
I started by searching stock photography sites for photos of boys playing with dolls to go along with this post. But you can probably guess what happened.
I didn’t find a single high-quality photo of a boy happily playing with a doll.
And so I asked a few friends to share photos of their boys playing with dolls, and their response was immediate.
Enjoy these sweet photos of boys playing with dolls!
Photo by Kate at Homebound But Hopeful 
Photo by Rachel at You’ve Got This
Photo by Kate at Picklebums. (Check out her post aboutboys playing with dolls: Boys Don’t Play With Dolls. Or Do They?)
Photo by Devany at Still Playing School
Photo by Christina at Little Sprouts Learning
Photo by Rebekah at Finding the Golden Gleam
Photo by Liska at Adventure in a Box. (Check out her post aboutboys playing with dolls: Should Boys Play With Dolls: A Dad’s Perspective.)
I loved these photos so much, I scoured Instagram for even more adorable photos. So if you’re smiling as big as I am right now, have some more!
Download my FREE cheat sheet: 16 Miracle Phrases to Help You Reconnect With Your Child
Your Turn
Have you seen ads or media photos of boys playing with dolls? Share in a comment below!
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The post 30 Photos of Boys Playing With Dolls That Will Make You Go “Awww” appeared first on The Reformed Idealist Mom.
