Friday Fun: The Secret Life of Dolls

Anna is in the throes of her Disney princess phase. So, recently when we were at a friend's house for a play date, Anna's friend let her borrow Rapunzel and, in return, Anna let her borrow her talking Ord the dragon.

Our schedules have prevented us from getting together since, so the girls haven't yet had a chance to trade back their toys. So, Rapunzel has decided to settle in and keep herself entertained until it's time to go home. She retained Uncle Keith as her stylist and decided to branch out into edgy territory....imitating Lady Gaga.

Check her out! Does Gaga have some competition in the weirdness department here??

Are We Really "Born This Way"? (2 of 2)

This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me,

Throw your sticks and your stones, throw your bombs and your blows,

But you're not gonna break my soul-

This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no.

--Katy Perry, "Part of Me"

When we last left our elementary school heroine, she routinely sat in the shrink's office, utterly confused as to why she was there.

Okay, enough with the third person.

I went to counseling on and off for about three years.  And one day, a lightbulb went off. I thought about Christmas, when I was roughly 6 years old, and I cried when my great aunt got me a Barbie doll. I thought about the Herculean effort it sometimes took for my mom to get me in dresses for church.  I thought about how most of my buddies were boys. I thought about how I was obsessed with baseball and played pretend games in which I was a male detective.

"I want to be a boy. I wish I was a boy" rang in my head.

Although it looks like someone else...even I can admit this is cute. (Age 6)

Are We Really "Born This Way"? (1 of 2)

I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes,

I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way.

--Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"

And now for a nature/ nurture presentation from our sponsors. LOL.

Seriously, I decided to write this post today after having read an article posted on Facebook and the comments that followed. The article was about a father's support of his "gay" 7-year-old son. Heartwarming, right?

Not to some people, of course.

Me at Halloween dressed as a Yankee - age 10

The (Serious) Hits

Last week, I posted a list of my favorite pieces on the blog that were sweet or funny (aside from those already featured in the "popular posts" column). Many of them were written in the blog's infancy, so I wanted to remind people that they're there.

Now I'd like to call your attention to a few of my favorite posts of a more serious/ political/ thought-provoking nature. Please check them out and let us know what you think!

The Gender Divide - describes the sometimes ridiculous delineation between toys and interests that are supposed to be "just for girls" or "just for boys" and explores what some of the underlying concerns are when kids don't neatly fit the "ideal" gender stereotype.

The (Amusing) Hits

Okay, I'm hard at work coming up with some good stuff for next week. Until then, I thought I'd direct your attention to some of my favorite posts, some of which occurred very early in this blog's existence. This list will consist only of the touching, sweet and/or amusing stuff; I'll make a separate list of the "top" more serious discussion posts.

The "popular posts" column on the right of the home page lists the most read posts, and they are certainly among my favorites.  But there are others that are very near to my heart, yet haven't gotten as much attention.  So, here they are.

Please take a moment to check them out and share your thoughts!

From Hair to Everywhere

"I just wanna be myself/ And I want you to love me for who I am,

I just wanna be myself/ And I want you to know, I am my Hair." -- Lady Gaga

In case you were wondering, Lady Gaga themed posts won’t necessarily be a regular feature on this blog.  However, her latest release, Born This Way, continues to inspire me.  The music is great and the lyrics thought-provoking.

The Wrong Signals

“Don’t be insecure if your heart is pure,

You’re still good to me if you’re a bad kid, baby.”  - Lady Gaga

Ok, I realize not all of you are Gaga fans, but hear me out.  The above quote is from “Bad Kids,” one of the songs on her new release, Born This Way.  It’s a song worth listening to, but even if it’s not your style, the song does contain a message from which all parents can learn.