Should my 8 year old son play with barbie dolls?

Your a strange one People take a look at this persons ...STORY i mean question below !!!!

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I am so amazed at the responses to this question. Is this a joke ? If your son is gay no matter how many spankings or groundings you give him it will make no difference. He will only turn out to be an aggressive and bitter adult. Yes it is normal for children to explore different types of play each child is an individual. I would accept that he is his own person but you could say to him Dad does not like to see you playing with dolls !!! Punishment was definitley too harsh. Try and spend a little more time with him just being two boys together get to know him and accept him for who he is. If you want him to grow into a real man love him unconditionally that means accept him for who he is including his likes / dislikes.

I see nothing wrong with a boy playing with Barbie's, it's not going to make him gay. What is your daughter not allowed to play with "boy" toys.

One of my guy best friends used to come over to my house everyday and we played with my Bratz dolls a lot. But that's because there was nothing else to do if the pool wasn't open. And to this day - this guy is the straightest, straight dude you can find. It didn't "make him gay" whoever said that or whoever told you that is telling you complete bull. It's just good old fun and it's not going to hurt the child.

I can kind of see where he finds dolls more appealing then "boy toys" just as little cars and stuff like that because I find those toys incredibly stupid and boring. With dolls it's not about little girl toys it's about having imaginary play. Maybe pretending the doll is a doctor or a wife with kids, etc. There's so many options with a doll. You can do anything and not to mention, spending an hour of putting clothes on the doll is pretty entertaining to. With a car, I can't see how many options in imaginary play.

The kid is just fine, there's nothing wrong with him playing with Barbie's.

First of all Spanking isn't bad, but come on over playing with a stupid barbie. Yeah it is a girls toy but lets get real the boy is 8. My little brother used to play with my barbies and now he is grown an married...TO A WOMAN! This will not in any way make him gay. If he is gay spanking him will NOT change that. In the long run he will grow to fear you. Just simply tell him it is a girls toy. Have you thought about getting him some GI JOE men or action figures? My boys love to play with them. Maybe take out to play just the two of you and do boy things. Do not punish him for playing....cause seriously that's all he was doing.

Ok, this is not abnormal. Boys are curious just as much as girls are. Maybe he was playing with them because he was wanting to see what a girl looked like. My brother 'played' with Barbies when he was little and we used to catch him looking up their dresses and under their shirts. He is the furthest thing from gay you can find. A woman can't walk by him without him at the very least checking her out, if not making some comment about what he'd do with her.

This is not going to make your son gay. And if you are going to choose your son's sexuality for him then you are a horrible parent. Spanking him will not change that, but he'll resent the hell out of you for doing it.

So continue to spank your son for being curious. Really good encouragement for him to develop his sense of imagination. Wake up and open your mind because this is the real world and people aren't gay or straight because of what toys they play with! I had GI Joes, and I'm straight. I also wrestled, climbed trees and everything else like that. And I'm married with a kid now, it didn't make me a lesbian.

First and Foremost, there was no reason to spank him or punish him, he did nothing wrong... Would you punish your daughter for playing with his GI Joes??? I think nbot, And there is nothing wrong with your son playing with Barbie Dolls at his age. Look at it through his eyes... He sees an action figure, a figure that he can move the arms and legs and do stuff with. He is exploring and learning through this play. It is actually a good thing that he is interesting in many things, such as barbies, he is learning that there is a wide variety of Human Beings, I mean I don't walk down the street and just see GUYS or GI Joes, Do you?? Save the punishment's for when he really does something to be punished for

let me get this straight...you spanked your kid cause he was playing with a doll?

You need help. I have seen 2 boys grow up. Both played with barbies and neither one is gay. But you keep that spanking sh*t up and you may have some bigger issues on your hands.

Your child will not turn out to be GAY cause he plays with dolls. So get over it. But he will start to hate and resent you. You need counsling and if I was your wife I would have left your *** for that.

I am not against spanking I am against the way you used the punishment.

So I guess "real men" spank little boys do they??? If he wants to play with dolls let him. Don't be such a pansy! Your son is more secure in his masculinity than you are! Pretty sad. By the way if your son IS gay beating him will have no effect on that other than him hating you when he's older. Being paranoid about your son playing with dolls is NOT normal.

Barbie dolls, eh? I knew a kid who had an early fascination with Barbie dolls....I would watch this carefully.

It isn't a big leap from playing with Barbies to directing porn movies. Boils down to the same thing, doesn't it? Telling over-endowed women what to do and when, plus what they can wear.

Doesn't Hugh Hefner have girlfriends that kinda look like life-sized barbie dolls? http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor/

would you let your daughter play with toy cars?

when I was a kid my parents encouraged us to play with toys for the opposite sex to teach us that we shouldn't be judged for our choices. My brother is 5 years older than me and up until I was 11 he played dolls with me, I don't believe he enjoyed it, but it didn't stop him. I'm 16 and still sometimes feel like playing with dolls (I'm female). What I'm saying is it's fine, don't worry, he is a child and likes to do things other kids do, make sure he knows that dolls are for girls and other kids might tease him. He wont turn out gay just because he likes feminine things, I have no kids, although I baby sit a little girl (nearly 2) every week for 2 nights (her dad wont stand up as a man and give her mum a break) and I have looked into the behavior of children. I am also doing a trainee ship in child care and I see male children as old as 12 playing with dolls. He should feel comfortable to be himself in his home.

I personally would disown you if you were my father, you sound like a horrible man to judge a child so young. He is still learning these things, chances are the only way he would remember even playing with the dolls is if you dont let him live it down. It's probably just a phase, he will get over it in a few weeks.

whats wrong with playing with a barbie doll, if it was an army doll you wouldnt mind,

hes not playing with it because he is or is going to be gay, he is just playing with a toy, that maybe he has not been allowed before.

he is only 8 he is not making lifestyle desicions.

my partner will probably think exactly the same when our son is this age, but i will soon put him right, they are just children.