Dinosaurs Are Not Just For Boys

It drives me nuts when people advertise things like dinosaur decorations and label it "for boys". Why on Earth would only boys like dinosaurs? My mom got me a really cute scrapbook with dinosaurs on it and put pictures of everyone in the family in it. It comes with stickers and they all say things like "absolutely 100% boy" and "of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable" and "it's a guy thing". WTF?

Look, I understand that in general, more boys than girls are interested in dinosaurs. But I was a dino-freak when I was a kid and I'm sure lots of other little girls are too. There is just no reason to categorize the world into "boy" and "girl" items. It's like greeting cards--why are Star Wars cards labeled "Boy Birthday"? Why can't they just be birthday cards?

Jack's room is painted lavender. We painted it that color a few years ago and saw no reason to change it when turning the room into a nursery. Having that color for a boy disturbs some people, however. I called a place to ask about glider cushions and when I mentioned the color of the room was lavender and that we were having a boy, the woman said, "Well, and you'll be changing the color of course..."

Just what do people think is going to happen if a baby boy has a room with lavender-painted walls? No doubt he'll be scarred for life.