Fighting Gender Norms With Birthday Cake

We've always encouraged our children to be whoever they want to be. As long as it hurts no-one, it doesn't matter. Because there are so many of them maybe that forms a protective group. Maybe because none of us care they're given the courage and freedom to just go for it when others might hold back. Maybe they just don't care.

Boy no.3 was 5 yesterday and it's tradition in our house that the children choose their cake. I expected him to say 'chocolate' or 'carrot', but he had a very specific idea about what he wanted.

He is colour-blind, he sees no green, so his views on colours are different to other people's, but he still knows what he likes and what he finds attractive.

Was he pleased with it? I think he was....

 And what did he ask for?

He asked for "a pink and purple cake with lots of balls on the top"....

He can't see why pink is a girl's colour. He doesn't understand what the fuss is about. It's his favourite colour because to him it really stands out from all the khaki yellow. It would be so easy for him to fall into the trap of disliking it because he's told to. I'm really pleased he hasn't. 

And he had a great birthday.... it's a win.