Children's toys and sexual orientation

A new "gay theory" by some conservative parents I've been around. A child can confuse his or her sexual orientation if they play with the "wrong" toys. A boy who plays with dolls may become too feminine and turn gay. He won't be a protective father, but will be an emotional pervert. Likewise, a girl who plays with boys toys will act masculine (butch) and be too independent and emotionless. Is there a connection between toys and sexual orientation?

Decius i believe you are referring to the nuture vs nature theory.
even with that theory you have to think about attolias theory. i know someone who played with dolls when they were young although he called them kick-but cammandoes. hes not quite as aggresive as other guys. but he is not gay. maybe the ideal of what dolls/commandoes represented slightly affected him. who knows its just one of those thins that make you wonder.

Attolia, I think you've possibly (in some cases at least) got the cause and effect wrong. I can't speak for anyone else but as a child everyone gave me dolls and other girl toys to play with, and I still went out of my way to find boy toys (taking them from my brother when relatives gave them to him).

Then again, I'm still not sure whether it was nature or nurture; my mom is a very strong feminist and as a child encouraged me to be the same. But I don't think she'd have been upset if I wanted to play with dolls or anything; I just wasn't interested.

Anyway, I'm not a lesbian. I've wondered if I'm "less feminine" than other girls I know; my thought process is more logical than emotional, I've always been a tomboy, most of my friends are male, and I generally don't like being around girls because of their lack of openness and general bitchiness. I tend to prefer boy-type bullying over girl-type (and I've gotten plenty of both). I don't think it was the toys that made me like this, though. I think the same things that are responsible for making me want to play with boy-type toys also give me the rest of those characteristics.

But I'm not "butch" or anything, and I'm not /un/feminine. I love shopping, I love clothing and makeup and most of all cute boys. Also I hate warfare, hate fighting, am very compassionate and empathetic, et cetera. So early childhood indicators aren't everything. And I'm not saying that what's true for me is true for everyone, just that the hypothesis is not universally true.

That's quite interesting demele. Perhaps the playthings the children use influence persona's but the sexual orientation may have to be set through other interactions and experiences. In essence, the toys may be only part of one's sexual preference.

BULL CRUD!!!!

What if toys didn't exist??? HMMMM.... That child would then grow up with no personality??

Toys are just learning tools for children, it doesn't matter what they are or where they come from, a child will make toys out of anything that is lying around even if they haven't got any.

I am a childminder as well as a mother of three and I use heuristic play a lot, pots and pans and wooden spoons, can be a drum set as well as cooking impliments or they could be something else entirely. Cardboard boxes are my favourite, they can be used as large building blocks, doll houses, play houses, castles, boats, treasure chests...the list goes on. I also use things like tree cones, leaves, conkers and stuff from nature as well as things around the home like buttons, cotton reels and string, scraps of material...the thing is even if they weren't provided children will find something to play with and those things are just tools to help them understand the world that is already around them.

If a boy sees his mother doing something he will copy it, if a girl sees her father doing something, she will copy it. My three year old daughter loves dollies and house hold role play like cooking and cleaning, but she's equally happy with play hammers and spanners pretending to mend her scooter or play car (just like her dad).

Later sexual orientation comes from many different influences in a persons life, not just the bond and relationship style they have had with their parents and the toys they have played with, but from peers and the media as well like everything a person is exposed to affects their personality traits.

You have to remember we are each a product of our environment as well as our genes.

I don't believe it does decide it... I mean, I'm gay. When I was little, I WANTED to play with dolls and such. My mom didn't want to buy them for me, but I "made" her(well, she didn't buy me actual dolls; just a doll house with little plastic people and wooden furniture and such. I also like Betty Spaghetti, but my mom wouldn't get me that, lol). So, I don't think it's so much the toys. The child already has an idea of what they like and want in their head, and they'll pursue it, just like Demele said how she was given dolls but didn't want them.

I think that if your son wants to dress in a pinny and hoover, wear makeup and bake cakes all day, and his wrists are about as strong as a withering daisy; you'll start asking questions.

Seriously though, if your daughter wants to wear shorts and play rugby or american football and starts to grow a beard; you've also got to ask questions.



If mommy decides to get her son to play dolls all day; he isn't going to be very sporty and competetive and masculine

If daddy gets his daughter to play football all day; she'll turn out more sporty competetive and masculine.



Commonsense.

That is just plain silly. If a little boy is feminine and wants to play with dolls, but you force him to play with trucks...he will not become more masculine...same with little girl who is more masculine. Conversely if you give a girl that likes dolls a football and play football with her, she will not be more masculine. How silly to even come up with that thought! I was a little girl whose Dad loved to play ball and fly kites with. I am very feminne and I still like to throw a football, but I don't like to watch it on TV.

I think besides genes the sexual orientation depends on the education of parents. And toys are just a way of educating. So if a parent is going to educate his/her son in a gay way (sorry for the expression) of course he will get dolls and stuff. But it is not toys the reason for sexual orientation but the education of which toys are the main part. Besides genes of course.