She/Her/Girl/Woman Era: Media you wished your parents had or hadn't exposed you to growing up?

[Rivenblade]

(If I messed up anything in the gender attribution in the title of this thread, please let me know)

So, I have two little girls. One is four. One is seven. I want them to be exposed to more than just traditional male-centred media, so I'm wondering if the girls and women on this forum could provide some input on this topic. My kids' current media diet consists of a mix of...

Paw Patrol
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Peppa Pig
Pocoyo
Studio Ghibli movies (Totoro and Kiki being their faves)
Disney flicks (Moana and Frozen being the two most prominent)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Teen Titans Go! (usually popular on weekend mornings for some reason)
Little Golden Books...little one really likes DC heroes it seems, saying "Wonder Woman is so awesome," so will nurture that a bit
Robert Munsch books
With the older one, have already read The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe together

Anyway, older one seems to be more into the stereotypical princesses, rainbows, and unicorns stuff, while the younger one is more into characters who do cool physical things and can kick some ass. Don't want to limit them and don't want to categorize them into boxes, but this is what I've seen so far. And they both love to laugh, of course.

I -think- I'm doing a good job of providing diverse options for them, and we do a variety of creative and physical activities so they don't feel that they have to fall into only one type of job/interest/media funnel because of their biological sex and how society tries to mold them into set roles.

Anything I'm missing? Anything I should stay away from? Looking forward to hearing about a variety of personal experiences!

 

[striderno9]

My mom was totally okay with me watching Faces of Death I through VI with her at a very very young age. I am glad I watched them because it spurred my love of weight shit but in hindsight that could have gone very wrong for me.

 

[Deleted member 46414]

Just my opinion but you should maybe ask this question on a parenting forum. There are so many just bizarre people here.

 

[lucebuce]

There are so many just bizarre people here.

Click to shrink...

I can confirm.

 

[FeliciaFelix]

Mom and I used to watch horror movies like Child's Play together lol. I would say... watch anything and everything sans obvious sexual stuff or gratious gore, depending on their level of maturity/intelligence.

Also some of the tamer adult cartoons. Like, today's equivalent of 90s Simpsons.

Maybe 4 and 7 is too young to watch South Park. But like, expose them to stuff that doesn't make them naive.

 

[Curler]

People will grow up liking what they like, and sometimes it will be something stereotypical of the gender norm, sometimes it isn't. I grew up practically raised by tv and movies, and was into all sorts of things. Girly things, boy things, whatever. My parents didn't care that it didn't "fit" whatever the norm was, but I was the one that discovered most of it on my own without anyone telling me what I "should" like. Lots of girls grow up really into the princess/horse/girly stuff, and that's fine. The only thing I don't like, is seeing parents trying to get their kids get OUT of stuff they like, since they themselves see it as a "gender norm", cause it's kind of like taking away the kid's happiness due to what the parent wants them to be.

 

[moomoo14]

Not a girl, but Princess Tutu is a really quite wonderful, G-rated anime that also has a great deal of depth to it, meaning you could watch it with them. It's easily the best children's anime ever made. Worth considering.

 

[Rivenblade]

People will grow up liking what they like, and sometimes it will be something stereotypical of the gender norm, sometimes it isn't. I grew up practically raised by tv and movies, and was into all sorts of things. Girly things, boy things, whatever. My parents didn't care that it didn't "fit" whatever the norm was, but I was the one that discovered most of it on my own without anyone telling me what I "should" like. Lots of girls grow up really into the princess/horse/girly stuff, and that's fine. The only thing I don't like, is seeing parents trying to get their kids get OUT of stuff they like, since they themselves see it as a "gender norm", cause it's kind of like taking away the kid's happiness due to what the parent wants them to be.

Click to shrink...

Yep. Being very conscious of not doing this either. We love Elsa and Anna in the house as much as the other stuff.

 

[Rivenblade]

Not a girl, but Princess Tutu is a really quite wonderful, G-rated anime that also has a great deal of depth to it, meaning you could watch it with them. It's easily the best children's anime ever made. Worth considering.

Click to shrink...

Cool. I see this is on Amazon Prime. I'll give it a whirl and see if it sticks. Thanks.

EDIT: Nope. Not in Canada. And not on Netflix or Crunchyroll. No clue how I can watch this now. LOL

 

[BringBackSonics]

Just my opinion but you should maybe ask this question on a parenting forum. There are so many just bizarre people here.

Click to shrink...

Eh, there are enough members of ParentERA to help steer other parents away from the 'Video Games Good, Kids bad' discussion.

 

[BringBackSonics]

Our daughter will watch what we watch, u sually its pretty tame stuff like marvel and things of that nature. She is also really interested into Daniel Tiger and Thomas the Train lol

 

[Camwi]

I've got nothing to respond with to your request, as I'm not a woman, but as a father of two girls myself, can I just say how fucking annoying it is that there's only ONE girl pup out of the main six? As if a show about puppies is something that's male-oriented.

 

[Pau]

Hmm, looking back, my parents didn't introduce me to much media. My mom doesn't consume any movies, music, tv, books, etc. My dad only consumes stuff for slightly older people.

So my mom would show us Disney movies and Barney so we would learn English.

My dad wouldn't directly show us anything until we were older. Only Queen songs on the way to school.

If I picked up stuff that was "for boys", my mom tried to move me away from it. Obviously didn't work. :P

 

[Arcia]

Anything with dinosaurs. My parents showed me Jurassic Park as a kid and I became obsessed with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are cool as fuck. And hey, it got me interested in science related stuff early so thats cool too. Also my parents made a point of exposing me to tons of stuff that wasn't typically "girly" which was great for my development imo.

 

[Curler]

Yep. Being very conscious of not doing this either. We love Elsa and Anna in the house as much as the other stuff.

Click to shrink...

That's good to hear. It's pretty heart-breaking on things I've read of moms trying to take away princess stuff from girls who WANT to be girly girls and stuff. It's almost like the opposite end of stories I heard where boys had their Star Wars stuff shoved in the garbage by their dads that wanted to be "real men" and focus on sports instead. Both sad to hear and deny kids from making choices on what they like :(


As for recommendations, there's tons of kid-friendly anime on Netflix and Crunchy, especially if they want action shows featuring girls. Little Witch Academia and Glitter Force series on Netflix, Crunchyroll has stuff like Sailor Moon Crystal (original is on Hulu), and even some kid shows that are a bit older, like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (used to watch this on tv as a little kid, had no idea it was anime until last year :x)

 

[mrmoose]

Not a girl, but have two daughters and am interested in the responses.

My older one is into anime (to my wife's chagrin) but my younger one just wants to watch Totoro over and over and over. However I find stuff like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura to be great.

For superheroes, not sure if it's in canada but US netflix at least has the new DC Super Hero Girls cartoon, which is done by the creator of MLP. It's also on Cartoon Network, which it seems like you have because you watch Teen Titans Go. also I'm not sure how people find Miraculous: Lady Bug (French cartoon, both on Netflix and I think Disney XD) but it seems harmless enough for a superhero show.

One thing about Teen Titans Go that I don't like is that all the characters are basically jerks. Still hilarious and worth watching but also worth talking frankly with your kids about. I know how much kids love that, but I'm serious.

 

[Landy828]

I'm a dad with 2 girls, so not sure if I'm allowed to respond, haha.

I just let them watch/do whatever they want within a certain limit. I screen PG13 stuff for my 11 year old. They both love so many different things, it's hard to keep up. They love a lot of the same things like Teen Titans or Star Wars.

The oldest like sports, dolls, anime (have to be careful with that one), Disney movies, Horror Movies (again..limited access ratings wise), and pretty much any kind of action movie. She LOVES shark movies. Sharknado (haha), The Shallows, stuff like that she wants to watch all of it.

The youngest is a bit more into the dolls, barbies, "cute" stuff. However, she also absolutely LOVES Five Nights at Freddy's stuff. Games, toys, shows, etc. The hardest part with her is not letting her access to some things that are ok for her sister.

As far as "gender specific" stuff, I don't push either one in any certain direction. Oldest like hunting with her grandfather, youngest couldn't care less. Youngest likes "Princess Peach", oldest would rather play Call of Duty or Street Fighter.

I'd suggest letting them kind of grow into or try whatever they want, within the limits of what they should be exposed to at that age. I don't mind my soon to be 12 year old seeing me playing Mortal Kombat, and even let her join a round, but I don't want the 7 year old seeing much of that. You really have to gauge each child's maturity well. I honestly think my 11 year old is mature enough for a lot of R rated (scary/graphic) stuff, but I'm going to hold out on a lot of it for now. She 100% separates reality from movies/games/entertainment. The 7 year old isn't anywhere near that yet. :)

I'm curious to see what all the others here have to say. I'd certainly take some suggestions too.

 

[Rivenblade]

Our daughter will watch what we watch, u sually its pretty tame stuff like marvel and things of that nature. She is also really interested into Daniel Tiger and Thomas the Train lol

Click to shrink...

Daniel Tiger is my jam.

 

[Deleted member 59339]

I'm 37, so it was a bit of a different world when I was a kid. My parents didn't really do any curating of media for me, since I was a kid before it was normal to own a lot of movies, and we didn't even have cable until I was like 14. If we went to the video store, they let me rent whatever I was interested in, without pushing me towards anything.

I wouldn't change anything about the way that all went.

 

[DJ_Lae]

As far as films and TV goes, a variety of it, I suppose. I've tried to make sure they know there no constraints on what they want to be or judgement on things they want to do. I will sometimes try and give some context for older movies or those with more 'traditional' messages.

Ghibli movies have some strong female characters, which is nice, and they have a distinct feel to western animation without going full anime.

My oldest daughter (9) is definitely not into girly stuff, the middle absolutely is, and our youngest daughter is into everything. Though she's only four. I expect all of that to change over time, probably more than once, and as long as they know they're loved and supported I think they'll turn out okay.

 

[Madds]

People will grow up liking what they like, and sometimes it will be something stereotypical of the gender norm, sometimes it isn't. I grew up practically raised by tv and movies, and was into all sorts of things. Girly things, boy things, whatever. My parents didn't care that it didn't "fit" whatever the norm was, but I was the one that discovered most of it on my own without anyone telling me what I "should" like. Lots of girls grow up really into the princess/horse/girly stuff, and that's fine. The only thing I don't like, is seeing parents trying to get their kids get OUT of stuff they like, since they themselves see it as a "gender norm", cause it's kind of like taking away the kid's happiness due to what the parent wants them to be.

Click to shrink...

This is really the only answer you need. I'm the father of two girls and they were into the princess stuff when they were little. Now the older one is rocking combat boots and a black leather jacket and her sister is all about Billie Eilish and Marvel comics. And all of that will change again a year from now. I think the key, in media, academics, arts, sports, everything - is just to expose them to as much as possible. They'll latch on to what speaks to them.

 

[BlackGoku03]

I have a 4yo daughter. She's into everything from Gremlins and Ghostbusters to Hello Kitty and My Little Pony. She loves monster movies and likes to watch me play games (she LOVED God of War, amazingly... especially the sea serpent).

I don't try to control what she watches (unless it's not appropriate) but I will try to introduce her to new things. Either way, she latches onto what interests her. We've got cable, netflix, Noggin, and will soon have Disney+. I also own over 650 DVDs and Blu Rays (which include lots of Disney stuff), so she has options.

But that's my perspective as a man. My wife would love for her to not watch much because she thinks the TV is rotting her mind. I think it helps with her vocabulary.

 

[Rivenblade]

This is really the only answer you need. I'm the father of two girls and they were into the princess stuff when they were little. Now the older one is rocking combat boots and a black leather jacket and her sister is all about Billie Eilish and Marvel comics. And all of that will change again a year from now. I think the key, in media, academics, arts, sports, everything - is just to expose them to as much as possible. They'll latch on to what speaks to them.

Click to shrink...

Yep. This is probably the best response to this thread. Heh. Thanks. Just trying to expose them to a variety of things to see what clicks.

 

[mrmoose]

Just don't introduce them to youtube too early. Man do I regret that.

I remember when I had my first daughter and I was terrified, I read a book (really a collection of articles woven into a book) by Peggy Orenstein called Cinderella Ate My Daughter. I'm not sure how people view that book but it definitely opened my eyes to how much of the whole "girls like pink and princesses and unicorns" is down to marketing and selling stuff, and then peer pressure takes it the rest of the way.

 

[Curler]

But that's my perspective as a man. My wife would love for her to not watch much because she thinks the TV is rotting her mind. I think it helps with her vocabulary.

Click to shrink...

I never understood the "tv rots the mind" thing, as I watched a ton of different stuff growing up, including a lot of educational programming like documentaries and nature stuff at a young age (too bad kids stuff like the original Discovery Channel anymore...) so I definitely learned a lot, in supplement to books I read. My parents actually encouraged me to watch tv/movies, because video games and PC were the real "mind rots" in my household :p

 

[mrmoose]

I never understood the "tv rots the mind" thing, as I watched a ton of different stuff growing up, including a lot of educational programming like documentaries and nature stuff at a young age (too bad kids stuff like the original Discovery Channel anymore...) so I definitely learned a lot, in supplement to books I read. My parents actually encouraged me to watch tv/movies, because video games and PC were the real "mind rots" in my household :p

Click to shrink...

I think it comes from people naturally using TV as a babysitter. If your kids just mindlessly watch whatever is on (which honestly is usually marketing for toys if it's a normal cartoon) and never really think about what's going on or the plot or the characters or anything, then yeah it's kind of a waste. Even adults "veg out" in front of tvs. If you sit down and watch with them and discuss what's going on and why people did what they did and what the lessons are, then you can learn even from the most toy-centric cartoons.

But early on I think there are a lot of studies that say to limit screen time in general until they're a bit more developed.

 

[Lady Murasaki]

The only type of control of media my parents exercised had a bad religious base, but it had an unexpected good effect: I used to watch European cartoons like Little Bear, Rupert, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures , educational programs like Beakman's World and Zoboomafoo on state TV that had a very nice and curated selection and I can say it had a good impact on me since they were all focused on being a child, playing and learning, mostly free of gender roles and too much focus on romantic storylines like American cartoons and Disney from the same period had.

To exemplify Tintin from The Adventures of Tintin was my favorite character/role model since he was so smart and went around the world on adventures. During this period I never thought I couldn't do things because I was a girl, and I think the approach of these stories had an impact on that. They had a lot of problematic elements (Tintin for example) and they probably could use more female characters, but I think that overall, media that focuses on simply being a child is the best (depending on the age, of course). Childhood is something that once it's lost it's never coming back, so I don't think there's a need for a hurry in introducing young children to teen/adult topics. I'm not saying you should only introduce them to old stuff like these I mentioned, but I feel that media that focus solely on playing and learning and doesn't introduce too many adult elements can have a good influence, especially at a younger age.

 

[Rivenblade]

Just don't introduce them to youtube too early. Man do I regret that.

I remember when I had my first daughter and I was terrified, I read a book (really a collection of articles woven into a book) by Peggy Orenstein called Cinderella Ate My Daughter. I'm not sure how people view that book but it definitely opened my eyes to how much of the whole "girls like pink and princesses and unicorns" is down to marketing and selling stuff, and then peer pressure takes it the rest of the way.

Click to shrink...

I've read that one too, and it also shaped my desire to make sure my girls are exposed to as much non-Disneyfied media as possible. I won't protect them from Disney princesses, but I'll talk to them and show them that it's not the only narrative that exists for girls and women.

 

[mrmoose]

I've got nothing to respond with to your request, as I'm not a woman, but as a father of two girls myself, can I just say how fucking annoying it is that there's only ONE girl pup out of the main six? As if a show about puppies is something that's male-oriented.

Click to shrink...

The cynical side of me thinks this is for marketing/selling toys only. They have one girl, so as to be inclusive, and they introduced another one who just occasionally comes in, but they only have to make like two "girl" toys. And when my kids were into Paw Patrol, trust me, Skye used to peg warm like crazy around here.

 

[meowdi gras]

You name it. I was raised to believe that women are inferior and that every woman needs a strong man in her life to lead and guide her. Women were merely "helpmeets" and mothers, and deferred all decision-making to men. All women figures of authority were unsuited to their position and were basically unhappy, trying to fill the void of not having a strong man in their lives. Women were to be meek and obedient and submit to their husband's will. Ad nauseum.

Anyway, we were fed a steady diet of this crap via sermons, Christian books, videos, audio tapes, etc.. Unsurprisingly, being brought this way fucked me up but good, and in more ways than just my understanding of gender roles.

 

[Rivenblade]

The cynical side of me thinks this is for marketing/selling toys only. They have one girl, so as to be inclusive, and they introduced another one who just occasionally comes in, but they only have to make like two "girl" toys. And when my kids were into Paw Patrol, trust me, Skye used to peg warm like crazy around here.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, representation totally matters. When they watch Paw Patrol, the older one will say "I'm Skye!" and the younger will say "I'm Everest!" hoping that Everest shows up.

They've played Street Fighter II together on my SNES Classic, and they always go Chun Li vs. Chun Li. Anyone who complains about "SJWs" and "forced representation" needs to STFU because it's super important.

 

[mrmoose]

I've read that one too, and it also shaped my desire to make sure my girls are exposed to as much non-Disneyfied media as possible. I won't protect them from Disney princesses, but I'll talk to them and show them that it's not the only narrative that exists for girls and women.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, whether it's the times or just to sell more stuff, Disney has changed their princesses the past maybe decade or so, to the point that Moana and Elsa don't even really have princes. And their series, like Rapunzel/Tangled, Sofia, and Elena have strong female characters. But yeah, always good to keep an eye out.

 

[Rivenblade]

Honestly, whether it's the times or just to sell more stuff, Disney has changed their princesses the past maybe decade or so, to the point that Moana and Elsa don't even really have princes. And their series, like Rapunzel/Tangled, Sofia, and Elena have strong female characters. But yeah, always good to keep an eye out.

Click to shrink...

No doubt. Moana is my favourite Disney movie for this very fact.

 

[jimtothehum]

It really varies from kid to kid. My 3 year old loves watching Princess Mononoke, but other people would be hesitant to show their kid that movie. It's a little on the dark side for that age, but my kids (3 and 4) seem to be attracted to anything that they perceive is scary. They are obsessed with zombies and stuff like that.

 

[Deleted member 1635]

I've got nothing to respond with to your request, as I'm not a woman, but as a father of two girls myself, can I just say how fucking annoying it is that there's only ONE girl pup out of the main six? As if a show about puppies is something that's male-oriented.

Click to shrink...

My kids grew out of Paw Patrol, but there was also Everest, although not a member of the core team.

 

[mrmoose]

It really varies from kid to kid. My 3 year old loves watching Princess Mononoke, but other people would be hesitant to show their kid that movie. It's a little on the dark side for that age, but my kids (3 and 4) seem to be attracted to anything that they perceive is scary. They are obsessed with zombies and stuff like that.

Click to shrink...

"A little on the dark side?" Wow. I seem to remember a lot of blood, which is why I've held off showing my kids that one, but I haven't watched it in a long while.

Oh while I'm at it, Amazon Prime in the US has (I think) both Unico movies available. These are adapted from the work of Osamu Tezuka by, of all studios, Sanrio, but my daughter loves it (and the excellent manga). The second movie is a little dark, which is why this reminded me of that.

 

[DJ_Lae]

It really varies from kid to kid. My 3 year old loves watching Princess Mononoke, but other people would be hesitant to show their kid that movie. It's a little on the dark side for that age, but my kids (3 and 4) seem to be attracted to anything that they perceive is scary. They are obsessed with zombies and stuff like that.

Click to shrink...

That's one of only two Ghibli movies I haven't showed them - although I suppose it's not that much creepier than Nausicaa. But stuff like the arms getting sliced off with an arrow is a bit of a surprise compared to their other works.

I also haven't let them watch Tales from Earthsea, though that's more because it's dreadfully boring.

 

[Burt]

That four year old sounds just about ready for Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor

 

[Rivenblade]

It really varies from kid to kid. My 3 year old loves watching Princess Mononoke, but other people would be hesitant to show their kid that movie. It's a little on the dark side for that age, but my kids (3 and 4) seem to be attracted to anything that they perceive is scary. They are obsessed with zombies and stuff like that.

Click to shrink...

You showed Princess Mononoke to a three-year-old? LOL. WTF. I'm hesitant to show them Spirited Away until they're like 11 and 8, and Mononoke when they're closer to 13 and 10...and maybe wait for the 10-year-old to turn 12 or 13 herself. :p

 

[jimtothehum]

You showed Princess Mononoke to a three-year-old? LOL. WTF. I'm hesitant to show them Spirited Away until they're like 11 and 8, and Mononoke when they're closer to 13 and 10...and maybe wait for the 10-year-old to turn 12 or 13 herself. :p

Click to shrink...

Yep, he loves that damn movie. He's got good taste at least! I won't even tell you guys what my mom used to let my nieces and nephews watch back when she was alive. I remember a time when my niece's favorite movie was the Conjuring. I think she was seven. I'm probably the more restrained one in my family. lol

 

[ilikesanta]

I've had some female friends say that they were fans of Miss Piggy growing up. She is both girly and doesn't put up with people's shit.

 

[carlsojo]

My daughter loves Ladybug & Cat Noir. It's on Netflix and I highly recommend it.

She also loves Joey on Friends and tells my wife and I daily she's going to marry him.

Try to mix it up. There's no reason to "avoid" media that isn't violent/scary even if it is male-centered. It just lets her figure out what she really likes. It's also (I think) kind of important to put on things my daughter doesn't like so that she doesn't think she's the grand master of the television. (Sports, etc.)

 

[Fuchsia]

"A little on the dark side?" Wow. I seem to remember a lot of blood, which is why I've held off showing my kids that one, but I haven't watched it in a long while.

Oh while I'm at it, Amazon Prime in the US has (I think) both Unico movies available. These are adapted from the work of Osamu Tezuka by, of all studios, Sanrio, but my daughter loves it (and the excellent manga). The second movie is a little dark, which is why this reminded me of that.

Click to shrink...

I mean there is some pretty intense dismemberment in that film. I was shown it at like 6 years old (my parents had no idea it was so gnarly) and I definitely had a negative reaction to it. I wasn't really ready for it. Everyone is different though so I'm sure some kids would handle it fine, like those of the user you quoted.

 

[Deleted member 23893]

That four year old sounds just about ready for Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor

Click to shrink...

Dad/20 Mo Old Daughter Era chiming in.

A bit OT, It is SHOCKING to me how much media preferences seem to exist straight out of the womb. Since my daughter was born, my wife and I have tried to make her media time meaningful. Mostly educational (with a strong emphasis on empathy), with some dumb pleasure stuff mixed in (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Marvel Super Friends, etc.). But for whatever reason, if we left her to her own devices, she wants the scary stuff. For a while she was obsessed with Goldar from Power Rangers. Recently, about half way thru the Marvel pre-school series of shorts (where Spider-Man teaches kids life lessons) there's a Venom episode, and from that point forward its been Venom Venom Venom. She got bored with the pre-school one, so we showed her an episode of the more grown kids series on Disney XD. First a normal non-Venom episode (she was bored) and then an episode with Venom and she lit up. Now she asks for it first thing in the morning with a "Dada...Grrrrrrrrrr". Obviously I'm NOT showing my 20 month old the Venom movie, but I wouldn't be surprised if she ate it up, vs many toddlers who would be terrified. I thought so much of a kid's personality would be nurture, but its so clear that she was a little horror fan waiting to be born. Cherishing every moment with her as she grows, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't super excited for when she's like say, 10 or 11 and Ripley gets introduced on some special occasion scary movie night.

 

[Kommodore]

I have two girls roughly about your Kids' age. I think my focus will always be to foster building on their preferences in terms of gender-based type of entertainment. I won't force them not to like something if they're into it. I have one daughter that likes the superhero stuff as much as my little pony, and one that seems to be far more into girly type of entertainment. There is some content that I can't stand that is just annoying toddler repetitive stuff that I want to bring better stuff into their media diet. Like you, I introduced them to Ghibli stuff early on. I love agnostic type of entertainment that skips it all and just presents characters in a story without the on the nose effort of saying this is female/male empowerment.

If you've ever read Drew McWeeny's Film Nerd 2.0 columns, how he presented media to his kids is brilliant stuff and I'd plan on patterning how I pass on media in the same fashion. If you want to read his ebook on how he presented Star Wars to his two boys, link is here.

 

[Adam_Roman]

I just wanna say I'm glad you're willing to let your kids watch stuff not marketed at their gender. My parents would get mad at me for showing an interest in anything 'girly'. I remember watching Sailor Moon when I was like 5 and they changed the channel and said that was a girl's show and I didn't get why that meant I couldn't watch it. I also remember someone giving me a hot pink crayon in like first grade, and my parents saw me drawing with it after school, and they took it away from me.

Little things like that can have a lot more impact than you'd realize, but it's good to see you know the importance of sharing more than just what's "intended for their demographic" with them.

 

[adamsappel]

Show them Avatar the Last Airbender. Lots of great role models for girls. Too bad they never really made toys for them.

 

[deathsaber]

TC, I would just say let them enjoy what they like. I don't see anything "problematic" with the list. Its ok for girls to like girly things (princesses, unicorns, rainbows, cheerleading, anything pink, etc). Just maybe expose them to some of your interests too, so they wind up well rounded.

In my case, in addition to to the normal girly things, it turned out my 6 year old daughter loves any videogames I allow her to touch. Lego games, Mario, or anything with simple enough mechanics. Hell, lately she loves doing co-op playthroughs of the games in Capcom's Beat em Up Collection (this is perfect because you can't lose, you get unlimited continues). Never thought my 7 year old daughter would love being the Guy to my Haggar in Final Fight, but there it is :)

All is well and fine, and I'm sure you aren't raising them to be subservient drones, but rather as a strong individuals, so they will be just fine.

 

[BasilZero]

Just my opinion but you should maybe ask this question on a parenting forum. There are so many just bizarre people here.

Click to shrink...

😂

+1 to this

Whatever you do, make them stay away from social media stuff like Fortnite, YouTube and stuff like that...

My cousins kids (girls included) are obsessed with that kind of stuff - barely 7 years old

 

[Curler]

Whatever you do, make them stay away from social media stuff like Fortnite, YouTube and stuff like that...

My cousins kids (girls included) are obsessed with that kind of stuff - barely 7 years old

Click to shrink...

I feel like unboxing videos should also be included. Kids like to watch other kids open presents, but on a scale like Youtube, I dunno. I've heard stuff like it actually makes kids appreciate getting the actual item less, and more excited just with the opening part. Something like that, but it seems like... something that might not be the best for kids to watch, depending. (Oh what do I know, I was the weirdo kid that would watch Pay-Per-View previews on repeat, since I didn't have access to the actual movies, when I was like 7 for no reason whatsoever >_>)