Toys and Talks

I was thinking about this after watching my children and their primary choices in toys.  My son is the biggest Cars/monster truck/trains fan ever.  He loves coloring pictures of cars (the animated Cars, not just any car on the road), making his Buzz Lightyear fly across the room (how that thing isn't completely broken I have no idea), and rolling his cars and trains around on anything that will stand still long enough, including mommy, daddy, his sister, and the cat.

My daughter on the other hand LOVES her baby dolls.  She cuddles them and puts them down for a nap.  If she doesn't have a baby doll present she uses whatever she finds handy.  I was taking a bath with her and a rubber ducky was her baby and I was apparently the crib with the washcloth as a blanket.  I wait for the day she starts nursing her baby dolls because sometimes it looks like that is what she is doing the way she holds them.  If I were to have another baby or if we were around someone currently breastfeeding, I think the action would be mimicked by her easily.

This really floored me how quickly they steered themselves to these gender specific toys.  Olivia has spent most of her life around Brandon's toys.  It was only in the last few months that she was given a baby doll to play with (now we have many, please don't send more).  Olivia's toys in her first 2 years of life were Brandon's old toys, so either gender neutral or more leaning towards "boy" toys.  So the fact that she is now CHOOSING to play with all girl toys while Brandon groans when she asks him to play baby dolls with her makes me 1) laugh, and 2) think that the whole nature/nurture theory was just proven by my children.

I had a discussion with someone about this last week.  We were talking about how well the kids play with eachother and how Brandon will, despite his groaning, play dolls with his sister and as long as no one is looking he plays quite enthusiastically with her.  His willingness to play with the dolls, I said was going to make him quite the ladies man some day.  It was commented to me that it was better thinking than him being feminine and preferring the men some day.

Huh?
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...again, huh?!

After I pulled my chin off the floor and bit down the first 5 or 6 smart ass remarks that came to my head, I said very blankly that it wouldn't matter if my son preferred men or women I would welcome their partner just the same, and if anything my kids' actions prove that people don't choose their preferences but rather those are ingrained into who they are from an early age.  

Before changing the subject I tried one clear as day explanation.  Why would a person knowingly submit themselves to the pain and fear that will undoubtedly accompany a declaration of homosexuality?  It is one thing to be rebellious, it is another thing to face the persecution and hatred from people who are supposed to love you every day because of this so-called conscious choice.  Certain groups of people have convinced themselves that homosexuality is a choice one makes...that they are doing it to get back at their families or to rebel against the Lord.  And since we are not able to read minds and intentions that side will never try to see the truth.  THAT is the only CHOICE I see here.  And kids are dying because of that choice to remain ignorant.

Sigh.  Amazing how a discussion over kids toys can evolve!  For the record, I don't care if my son or daughter marry a Sam or Samantha, as long as they are loved and happy.