Little girls hate mud. I mean, they really, really hate it. Hate the squelch underfoot, hate the gooey-slimy slippyness of it and really, truly detest the way it sticks to clothes in clumps.
Oh, wait... I got that wrong. I'll try again...
Little girls -- just like little boys -- really freakin' love mud. And mine is currently covered in it. Literally... from her delicate feminine toes to her beautiful head of curls.
Mud-tastic.
So considering we spend a fair amount of time in rain boots and overalls, we tend to lose gloves; hence why we found ourselves in the childrens' section of the local department store yesterday.
Holding hands through the store, we found the gloves pretty easily; there were even helpful signs:
"Children's Hats & Gloves"
Mega! So I stood looking at these tiny little mittens and scarves and decided on a nice pair of dark blue mittens. Perfect for hiding the mud stains!
"Mama! B - O - Y - S... what is that word?"
My daughter was looking up at the sign above the dark (and practical) side of the display.
"Boys. It says boys."
"I'm not a boy mama! I'm a girl! Where are the girls' gloves?"
We didn't have to search far to find the offering for little girls.
The "Girls" section was all pink and white. And I'm not talking about the deep, dark, rich pink that would have at least a small chance of disguising the inevitable mud stains. Nope. I'm talking about pale, pastel, princess pink. And white.
You're likely reading this and asking, so what? This is not news. Little girls look cute in pink.
Sure, but they also look cute in blue. And more than this -- there is more to little girls than looking cute!
So. Much. More.
My kid is brilliant. She is hilarious and kind and sensitive. She is joyous and loving and full of life. And none of these things have anything to do with the fact that she has a vulva.
Of course, we have the option to choose the blue mittens put aside for little boys. But the fact that the only offering for girls is pink -- and the only offering for boys is blue -- is so... limited.
Limited but not limiting. Because our children don't have to conform to these stereotypical gender roles. Little boys can play princesses, just as little girls can play pirates. Little boys can play with dolls, just as little girls can play with toy toolkits.
In truth, the princess mittens wouldn't last two minutes in our garden... even my 3-year-old could see that.
"Mama, I like blue."
"Me too."
So here is my request to you, shiny-clean department store: please broaden your color scheme and better yet, get rid of the gender signs.
Because little girls love mud too.
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This post originally appeared on Mama Bean Parenting.