A Dad's Eye View on: Pink Presents for a Girl

Recently I asked my three-year old daughter what she wanted for Christmas. After reciting a list the size of a Toys ‘R' U's stock take, she looked at me and said “And I need it all to be pink.” What is it with little girls and the colour pink? I don't have any sisters, so nothing really prepared me on arrival of my daughter for my world to be turned pink. My wife is not a girlie-girl, she rarely wears anything pink, so how does this furious force of colour happen?

Anyway, Christmas needs to be planned, and I try to get said daughter to prioritise her endless list. She is currently going through a Disney Princess phase and eventually announces that her "mostest best" present would be a Princess Aurora doll (that's Sleeping Beauty in old money) because she has "a pink dress."

The metrosexual new-age feminist in me could be contained no longer. I ask her if she would prefer a Princess Belle doll, "because she reads books and voices her opinions and loves the Beast even though he looks like a, erm, beast. Princess Aurora just mopes around waiting to be saved by a prince." I actually said those words. I had to stop myself from saying, "In fact, Belle represents the ideal of a free-thinking, ambitious woman, while I'm concerned about Aurora's submissive attitude and lack of self-motivation."

My daughter looked at me with that blank disgust only a three-year old can muster. I got a distinct sense that she was thinking "Look Dad, generations of women have played with dolls in pink dresses and have grown into independent, educated, inspiring citizens who are central to the very fabric of modern society. So, just buy the toy I want and stop being ridiculous." What she actually said was "But Daddy, Belle has a yellow dress, and I want pink."

There is no answer to such a rapier application of infant logic. I backed down. I have a lot to learn.

My wife had overheard the conversation and rolled her eyes while shooting me a "we'll sit down and chat about this later" kind of look. It hadn't gone unnoticed that after the Great Princess Debate with my daughter, I immediately went into my son's bedroom where we happily chatted about "kicking alien butts." Needless to say, I don't condone the kicking of any body parts on anything or anyone, and hadn't given a second's thought as to the implications such talk might have on my son's psyche. I'm hoping he doesn't grow up into a violent thug, and I'll blame computer games if he does - which are top of his Christmas wish list.

Thankfully, little girls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice. Pink nice things, obviously.