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6 things I Learned about Boys, Dolls and Nurturing

Published on Scary Mommy   Background:  When my preschool son told me that “boys don’t cry” three years ago, my heart sank. I remember thinking to myself: “we live in a progressive town, we talk endlessly about feelings at home and I’m a therapist for goodness sake – how did this happen?”  Then came a light bulb moment. If kids learn through play, where are the toys that encourage boys to express feelings? They didn’t exist and their absence was sending the message to many boys that this type of play or this way of being wasn’t for them.  Fast forward:...

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Gender Equality Takes all Genders

I remember my first Toy Fair a few years ago, several people stopped by the Wonder Crew booth offering high fives and big smiles; on the flip side, one person said to me, “what is this? Boy empowerment? Don’t you know the trend is girls, not boys.” It seems that many still operate under the cultural assumption that the boys are OK, boys have the upper hand -- why focus on them?  Gloria Steinem once said, "we've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise sons more like our daughters."  Girls need empowerment. And for different reasons, boys need...

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