<p>Garland, that story about your parental role to be the impossible customers is one of the funniest I’ve heard in years.</p>
<p>Add me to the list of those determined to avoid the stereotype of boys and guns, violence etc. I waived the white flag when S made guns out of legos! Yup, dino tails also made great weapons! All things in moderation, makes the most sense, I suppose. </p>
<p>I agree that most boys go for the trucks, cars and the occasional weapon and most girls go for the kitchen sets and dolls. Certainly, there are exceptions. Wish it weren’t so, but I believe that it is!</p>
<p>My kids were very random in what they liked. Oldest loved anything that “goes” - cars, trucks, trains, planes. Middle kid - S2 - loved stuffed animals. He used doll furniture- stroller, high chair, cradle, etc, with his stuffed dog. I wasted a lot of money on baby dolls for D - not interested. D got a doll house when she was 3 - removed the dolls and filled it with dinosaurs and lizards. She even decorated her college dorm with lizards. “I hope you like lizards,” she said to her roommate, who answered, “Guess I do now.” It was D who brought me rolly pollies from the yard as presents.</p>
<p>All three loved building things - S1 liked Brio train set best, S2 liked legos best, D liked K-nex best.</p>
<p>I can’t find any similarity to what they liked then to what they do now. Except oldest still loves cars, and travel. Middle still loves animials. Youngest still wants an Iguana. (And I still say No!)</p>
<p>On the gun question; my kids only had “make believe” guns as toys (eg sticks in the yard, etc) but our rule was that they were not allowed to point them at another person (including passing cars, etc). Exception was squirt guns, and only if the other person was similarly armed! I was a mean mom - my kids weren’t even allowed to play paint ball. (They’ve all shot real guns at sports clubs, though, and all have bow and arrows for target practice.)</p>