I remember prior to my little girl being born my mental state resembled a cuckoo clock that relentlessly struck the hour of twelve every minute. When my wife actually gave birth to our daughter I felt completely elated. The sheer joy of her arrival was palpable. On the other hand I quickly became entangled in confusion about how she and I would interact on a day to day basis. I cringed at the thought of pink laden girlie toys, tea parties, frilly dresses and all things Barbie (no offense Barbie fans) infiltrating our home. In addition, the daunting task of dealing with “girl parts” for diaper changes loomed large over the horizon. I concluded this exercise in parenting had as much appeal as hand feeding a great white shark. Clearly, I needed a bigger boat. I can recall my then 2 year old son and I gazing speechlessly; both of us utterly dumbstruck by our new addition in her crib. I envisioned Yoda from Star Wars providing me with sage advice, “Wait you must to get the answers you seek . Much to learn in the ways of the Daddy.” And so I waited.
Fast forward 16 months and a world of change had unfolded. My little bundle of joy transformed into adventure girl. Ridiculously endearing with the heart of a thrill seeker, she confounds my wife and I with her demure facade. It’s like a cloaking device which conceals her true rambunctious nature. She’ll be playing quietly with a plush toy one moment then within milliseconds scaling the couch with reckless abandon. If not for her inability to contain her impish glee I would have no warning she’s up to death defying mischief. And yet despite her parental stress inducing ways, a wonderful truth has been revealed. Girls dig dinosaurs. You read that correctly. Pink ponies, tea sets and toys of their ilk have no value if a little girl has the option to cry out a mighty “ROAAAR” And what’s more, trucks strike a little lady’s fancy as well. Garbage trucks, big rigs, construction vehicles and race cars as well all appeal to the fairer sex.
In full disclosure, my daughter does have my 3 year old son to emulate as far as toy choices are concerned. But honestly, boy oriented toys are simply built for more active fun. Why comb the hair on a lilac pony when you could pretend to motor your truck through the mountainside aka the couch. I would posit I’m not alone in my observations. As such, more toy companies need to break free from the traditional view point of categorizing toys separately for girls and boys and adopt a 21st century approach. In a world where women hold the highest political offices, outnumber men in the workforce, and compete in professional sports, it’s time to acknowledge girls dig dinosaurs.
Below is a video capturing my daughter’s first definitive indication of her preference for dinosaurs.
