Yes.
If it is what he wanted to play with, yes.

When we were fostering Cody we were (at least I was at first) super self-conscious that we should raise him in a "masculine" manner, thinking that ALL EYES would be on us, judging that we not raise him to be girly and such.

We got him trucks, cars, action figures etc...

When we went to stores ALL he wanted and ever asked for was a Baby doll. Again and again.
So we asked the Social Worker and she said: "If he wants a doll, then get him a doll."

We did.

He used to take care of it and take it EVERYWHERE (even Home Depot DAMMIT!). Sad thing is, he used work out some of the abuse he'd been through by taking it around the corner into another room and beating the crap out of it with one of our belts, saying: "Bad Baby!" over and over.
We finally got him to make Baby sit in the corner if he was "bad" instead.
Then there were babies/stuffed toys in every corner of our house.

We still have Baby. We knew when he was sent back to his awful abusive family they would have thrown it out immediately.

Of course he could play with dolls. Why? Because I see nothing wrong with a male kid learning things like nurturing, dressing and grooming, or that "feminine" things aren't taboo.
[Edited 10/13/09 8:34am]

PANDURITO said:

This is beautiful. He looks happy and that is all that matters.

johnart said:

That's so sad. Do you ever hear how Cody or any of your former foster kids are doing? If they are any better?

For those that think playing with baby dolls cause homosexuality, hell, it's the exact opposite. When I was in daycare, they had all kinds of dolls both baby dolls and action figures. I rarely grabbed a baby doll because they were so boring. However, me and another little boy was playing with two GI Joes. We were undressing those GI Joes and I got an erection with my little five year old self. The other boy noticed it bulging and said "Oooooh, your tally wacker grew big". I tried to hide it and he said, "that's nothing, look at mine". The next thing we knew, we were rubbing each other's dick until the teacher caught us. If somebody had put those baby dolls in front of us, we would have been limp noodles.
.
.
.
[Edited 10/13/09 8:28am]

uPtoWnNY said:

I was gonna say something totally obnoxious and pissy, but instead I'll try and muster up whatever trace of maturity I possess and ask some serious and sincere questions.

Do you then think caring for babies is strictly the woman's place?
Is it un-manly for a guy to help out in the care of his baby? (or any baby for that matter)

What is the harm or what is wrong with a male child developing nurturing skills at an early age so that maybe when he's an adult he might look at child-care as natural and instinctual and something to share in/help with with his partner?

And by partner, I mean wife, btw, since dolls don't magically turn anyone gay. I'm talking about heterosexual males here.
[Edited 10/13/09 8:27am]

sextonseven said:

He was one of 4 brothers taken out of their home. 3 were with Ron's sister and her husband. Cody needed the most individual work and attention. They were ALL sent back.
Every now and then we hear bits and pieces.
The oldest is now 15 I believe (maybe 16 by now). He's already a daddy.

But I bet he doesn't play with dolls!

Yes. I don't see anything wrong with it. I think that parents that go overboard in denying their child this out of fear are insecure about their own sexuality. My son loves cars and trucks but if he wanted to play with a doll I would not have a problem with it at all.

2freaky4church1 said:

This discussion makes me wonder if there is equal concern about girls playing with "male" toys. While I'm sure there is some tension around this, I imagine it's not as pointed. Reminds me of the dialogue from the movie Cement Garden that Madonna used in her song "What it Feels Like for a Girl":

"Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots, 'cause it's OK to be a boy, but for a boy to look like a girl is degrading. Because you think that BEING a girl is degrading..."
[Edited 10/13/09 10:47am]

Lammastide said:

bingo

JustErin said:

Good mommy.

Lammastide said:

Yes, it's basically misogyny in a round-about way.

Imago said:

i was always more a reader than a toy kid, but the toys i wanted and got were mostly gi joe, and i am gay.

the only thing it might have left me with is a real propensity for macho men, particularly military men, in my adult life.

toys dont make you gay or straight. if they did, i would argue giving them hot bodied uber-crotched macho men like gi joe is more likely to make them gay then giving them a barbie would be.

but toys dont decide sexuality.

InsatiableCream said:

Look, if not for dolls and teddy bears, this guy
would be holding a GUN in this picture instead
of this lovely poodle. !

EmeraldSkies said:

You mean like a girly baby doll with all the frills?

depends on the doll, his age, the circumstances by which he becomes exposed to such a doll and whether he plays with it alone or with other kids.

for example:

If he was say 3,4 or 5 and i was trying to teach him about how to care for babies or how I cared for him when he was an infant, then a baby doll would be appropriate and i wouldn't have a problem with him playing with such a toy if he was treating it like a pretend baby.

If he was in a classroom setting where ALL the kids played with the same type baby doll as some sort of lesson, then sure...why not.


If he played with the baby doll along with a variety of other toys, e.g. both masculine and feminine type toys then again...nothing wrong with that.

Imago said:

or wearing that gay ass mullet!

My son would play with trucks and dolls. He had two older sisters, and I never thought it was an issue! Why do boys always have to play rough?

is this about Real Dolls?

ufoclub said:

no.

johnart said:

That's so sad. I don't think I could ever foster a child,I would not be able to let them go.

EmeraldSkies said:

Emerald, we didn't want to let him go. We hoped against hope that it would turn into an adoption. The situation they came from was so bad we never dreamed in a hundred years that those kids would ever be sent back.

johnart said:

I will never understand how the very people that remove children from abusive situations,can send them back knowing what they are sending them back to. I don't know how they sleep at night.

EmeraldSkies said:

Me neither.
Sometimes birth parents have more rights than the kids or those who truly care about or for them.
[Edited 10/13/09 20:56pm]

I wouldn't let my kids play with GIRLY things because that would turn them into FAGS.

novabrkr said:

novabrkr said:

did you say FAG as in F-A-G

i mean you couldnt possibly have said FAG on the O-R-G

:gasp:

^ obviously he's being sarcastic