Ok, so anyone who knows me knows about my multiple parenting issues: pink everything for girls, plastic everything for children, kids' food, routine circumcision . . . now add boys clothing to the list. Not having had a son before, I've paid very little attention to boys clothes and the conditioning that lies therein. But now I have, I am stunned. I have always been a little flamboyant (!) as a dresser- favouring costumes as often as possible for everyday wear (something you can get away with better in SF than rural England). My tastes may be a little quirky, but I don't punish my kids and make them wear what I choose (well I suppose I do with Atticus, but that's what he gets for being 9 weeks old!). Imogen wears things she can play in- climbing trees, digging in the garden, paddling in the stream. It's just that she might choose a charity-shop bridesmaid's dress instead of overalls. Now that I look at boys' clothes, I am stunned. Blues, browns, muted greens and occasional rusty orange. The only animals I see as images are either big (hippo, dinosaur, etc) or violent (t-rex, shark, monster etc); there are vehicles on everything (JCB even has a Hight St kids clothes line!); and pirate, fireman or construction worker seem to be the boys' equivalent of girls' princess or fairy quandry.
.
It also seems that I am expected to want my son to wear mini combat trousers (what would he put in all those pockets?) and harder textured fabrics (he obviously needs toughening up). I knew a 5th grade lad in Sebastopol who used to come to school in a Chinese brocade jacket and feather boa. Why should this be so unusual, and why should boys' clothes be so dull? Even their fancy dress clothes options are restricted to fireman/monster. I don't want the world to think my boy's a freak, but I want him to have fun with clothes and feel as free to wear stuff that feels good, just as I don't want my daughter to feel prissy and inhibited by pretty clothes.
.
Now, I know I'm being extremist about this, and that there are exceptions (Zutano stripes, Babystyle softest cotton), but it's making me cross that I will have to go out of my way for this, or make his clothes myself.
