[marquis]

As JoeBoy said, little girls and boys will fiercely defend their perceived gender. I remember being a young girl and my parents expecting me to play with my brother's legos: not going to happen. Then an aunt sent some swedish blocks, which no-one else had, and it was acceptable for me to share and play with these with my brother. I wasn't self-aware at the time to know why (and still can't recall!).

Edit: see children's toys from the victorian era: boys have rocking horses and hoops, which would now be considered girl's toys. Social expectations, anyone?

[Joeboy]

The problem being, if we decide to give in to our girls' desire to defend their gender, we potentially set them up for a life of buying overpriced pink electric screwdrivers and shit like http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Cristal-1-0mm-Black-MSLP16-Blk/dp/...

[marquis]

Oh, don't give in! That's your role as parent. Do you let your kids eat sugar for breakfast? Fight them for what you know is best, they'll thank you for it. Sneak in some broccoli as it were.

Note: those BIC pens to me seem like a marketing joke: someone at BIC was clever enough to see a way to make money by taking advantage of the deep-set insecurities of grown women.