Surrendering to the Cute of it.

I've been at this mothering gig for 13 and a half years now. And when I first held a squalling red newborn in my arms (all 4lb 7oz of her) I decided that I would not push stereotypical pink outfits on her. Or dolls. Or headbands on her bald head. I wouldn't buy Barbies. I wouldn't read Shirley Barber books.

But what amazed me was how children naturally gravitate towards gender stereotypical toys on their own. I didn't push pink or dolls on Jessie. But Jessie wanted them anyway. And three daughters later when I finally gave birth to a son we certainly had a surplus of dress up shoes (which I still maintain are the most ridiculous girls toy ever - plastic high heels that snap in three seconds hooray) but Alex would reach for a truck. Or a matchbox car.

Reuben (my fifth child) is mostly similar although he has a serious love for the colour pink. So much so that he often tells me - loudly, and in public - that he's so glad we "have a pink baby". This mortifies me because while I realise he means a GIRL baby who we dress in pink I'm concerned that others will misinterpret it to be some kind of racial thing. Which it's not. So if any one sees a little boy in glasses with dirt on him somewhere asking lots of questions of a frazzled looking 30 year old woman toting a 'pink baby' - that's us.

Six children down the track - my last baby, my 'finale' - I threw all of that out the window and decided sod it. Evie is dressed in a wardrobe of outfits in varying shades of pink with a plethora of cutesy hats and headbands. I'm sure soon enough she'll be like all my children tearing headbands and hats off their heads (Don't they KNOW about sun awareness!) so I figure I've got to get in as many cute headbands as possible.

And she doesn't look like she minds too much anyway.

Evie is wearing headbands from Petite Bling. Find them on Facebook!