Melissa Sohm, mother to 2-year-old Ryder, believes that gender differences are innate; and that the division between ‘girl stuff’ and ‘boy stuff’ seems arbitrary. She also thinks that holding on too tightly to gender roles is a disservice to ourselves and to the children. From her experiences and observations (such as during playtime), girls and boys already exhibit huge differences even at an early stage. To her, letting a boy carry his doll in public should be perfectly okay and she believes it actually teaches him to kind of role-play what he will someday grow up to be. And she hopes that it means he will be a fine and responsible man able to carry his own child. The way she sees it, having boys play with dolls encourages them to be loving, caring, and nurturing. So it’s totally all right if her boy seems to want to play with dolls, and even encourages other parents to let their children find where their interests lie. So for Melissa and her family, playing with dolls alongside trucks is totally a non-issue.

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