It's not unheard of that Fire Pixie does princess parties for little boys, but it is rare. Always and invariably the guests are a good mix of girls and boys, and the Birthday Boy is always dressed up and delighted with his party. And, the only place this ever happens is Berkeley.
In early November I read this article about a little boy dressing up as Daphne from Scooby Doo for Halloween, and the intolerance he and his mom discovered at school. I am extremely happy to report that the San Francisco Bay Area is far more tolerant and accepting of boys who like female characters. All the kids at this party, and the parents too, were incredibly accepting and simply amused that Henry likes princesses. (Why not, after all? What's not to like about Princesses?)We did a little magic, some face painting (Henry got a pink and purple butterfly crown) and balloon animals, and every child was allowed to choose what he or she wanted, allowed pretend and play and "be" whatever they wanted for the hour. The other girls and boys at the party had a great time, and nobody teased Henry or even looked at him "funny." The adults even went out of their way to compliment him on how beautiful he looked. It was aweome.
We do a lot of stereotypically boy-themed parties for little girls, and nobody thinks that is strange. If a girl wants a pirate at her party, more power to her, she's "so mature" and "so creative." Statistically speaking, we should get just as many girl-themed requests for little boys, but it just doesn't happen. I imagine that almost all moms and dads must veto their son's choice before we ever hear about it. Props to the parents who listen to their son, and actually give him what he really wants for his birthday.
As I was leaving and saying goodbye to all the kids, the birthday boy's big brother approached me, looked me in the eye and told me that he's seriously considering having a princess party for his 8th birthday. What a compliment! I thanked him, and told him I'll see him next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment