THE DEBATE AROUND gender neutral toys is currently a hot-button issue in the US – Target recently decided to stop labeling toys by gender, much to the disapproval of some customers.
But one dad is trying to show people that it’s not that big of a deal.
Filmmaker Mikki Willis brought his son Azai to the toy shop to return a birthday gift, and when asked to pick a replacement, he chose an Ariel doll.
Willis filmed this short video of his reaction to his son’s choice, he says, after he saw some women giving Azai a disapproving look in a restaurant:
I let my boys choose their life. You have my promise right now, forever, to love you and accept you no matter what life you choose.
And then Azai chose the screaming life, and Willis was OK with that, too.
Willis’ video has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook – with many people saying they were experiencing the same thing with their own children.
One mother wrote:
This has been me on many occasions with my now six-year-old son – from princess dresses to pink sparkly horses to unicorn Halloween costumes. He inhabits the full range: wielding a sword in a princess dress, cuddling his baby while playing trucks – shifting between wanting to be Simba and Nala.
“Being his advocate and champion in the world has stretched me and grown me and made me a better person,” she said.
Sweet.
