Relax, don't get your hairs in a bunch when  your male child responds favorably to a pretty toy. The child hasn't been cued in such a way that he feels controlled to feel subjected to such bias. A child is merely interested in being entertained and happy as far as the toy will allow him or her to be. As I view childhood, I feel explicitily that childhood should be a pretty happy time for children, except in extreme circumstance. Otherwise, toys are a favorite means of expression, experiencing the favor of the mother or the father depending on what the toy does. In the instance of a pink stove, it's just the ideal concept that a girl will likely explore the idea of cooking. Maybe that same little girl might also like to hang wire one day for some energy company. Whos to say?

A young boy I saw not long ago was enjoying for a moment before he was distrubed by his father, who had to have definitely been around 30 something, so we are not speaking of the dark ages here. He nicely reprimanded his son for playing with the pink stove. I have the instinct to shut-up and listen and see how far this exchange between the five year old son and the father was going to go on. The mother latter jumped and also reminded her son, "that boys don't play with pink stuff." I felt kind of bad, but understood the complex that boys don't play with pink, period. I had heard arguments like this before, not frequently thank-goodness.

As it reminds me of whats really important here, the childs mannerism is simplicity before structuring before whats correct in society setting. The boy in this instance and not even being requested to state what he thinks that means. He hasn't quite yet formed a sense of sexual identity to be interested. So in my humble assessment, I wouldn't take it too seriously. I don't think I might want my son on the other hand to be wearing pink ballerina tights either. I wouldn't want to confuse the child either, but in a subtle manner, just reassure the child latter in the store, with a gentle sense that look son, for the record, pink is a typical color for girls.

I would then have some magazines and show the differences, such as pink nail polish, pink items that pertain more to the sense of female. By the same token, I would also share some guy magazines, pointing out your still kind of young to get all this, but when you get older you will. So if you have any questions, please ask me or grandma or your dad and I am sure they will have some answers. Leave it alone, a five year old is clued in figuring stuff out, and showing independence. Lets not show bias where it isn't needed, kids will eventually grow up liking their own stuff it's par for the course.