It's Pink, It's Sparkly... It's Barbie!?

Howdy all! I apologize for my brief absence. Anyone who follows me on Facebook, Twitter or Followgram knows that Little A has been very sick. She had a bad ear infection and a touch of pneumonia, and then promptly gave her bug to me... so this house has been a ball of sickly angst. I am not feeling 100% yet but I'm feeling well enough to talk with all of you so that's something.

Today I want to write briefly about some thoughts I've had. As many of you know, I am a consignment store stalker aficionado. On a recent trip to my favorite local store, I picked up a "My First Thomas the Tank Engine" set (for $10!) and a Barbie laptop.

*gasp* *cough* *sputter* ?!

Yes, you read that correctly, a Barbie laptop (for only $12!). I am a proud feminist so, as you might guess, I have a personal vendetta against all things Barbie. (I don't discriminate against Barbie lovers. I am a firm believer in "to each their own" but my opinions are pretty strong so if you are a die-hard Barbie lover, please skip the next bit.)

Her grotesquely mis-shapen body, her high-pitched, whiney voice and her love of all things... pink. Ugh! It drives me up a wall. So why then, you might ask, would I allow a piece of this blaspheme into my home?

The answer is simple: Little A has no clue who Barbie is.

I don't plan on making Barbie a regular thing in our house and Little A has very limited access to media so she doesn't know Barbie from Dora from Abby Cadabby. To Little A the high voice is enthralling, the loud pink hue is just another color, and the picture of the girl on the inside is just like any other cartoon figure. What matters to her is that the toy is very similar to her mama's laptop and even has it's very own mouse(!).

She doesn't understand any of the games or activities yet but that's not a big deal; the whole point of the toy is to help Little A feel just as important as Mommy or Daddy when we play on our computers. It demystifies our electronics so that Little A won't be so drawn to pounding on the keyboard and poking the screen. This idea is something we try to stress in our home, and it holds very true to Montessori ideals. You want to provide your child with as many opportunities to do the same things that the adults around her do. You can do things that are more classic to a Montessori environment like setting up a washing station or providing a set of child-sized chairs and table but it can be applicable to our more modern trappings as well.

So, even though I secretly shudder every time my eyes land on that bright pink rectangle, I am at peace with it as it provides my daughter with a sense of belonging and pride at being an equal human being in her home.