Is it Okay for Little Boys to Play with Stuffed Animals?

I hear this question a lot from friends and family. Is it really okay for little boys to play with stuffed animals or even dolls? Ironically I find this a very controversial subject; one where everyone has their own opinion. My thoughts are, "Of course, why not?" What are people truly afraid of? Are they afraid they will raise weak sensitive boys by allowing them to play with a stuffed toy?

My 2 year-old son has a stuffed monkey that he loves. He received it as an Easter present from his father one year ago. Some days I feel like this monkey has more of a life than me; my son takes him everywhere he goes. Sometimes I will peak around the corner to see what those two are up to. My son carries on conversations with the little stuffed monkey. I swear when I tell him "no" he will go and complain to that monkey. He pretends to share his food with him, he makes sure he brushes his teeth at night, and he always makes sure he is comfortable at bed time. My son really cares for that monkey.

Now he loves playing with his dirt bikes and other supposedly all boy toys too. Him and "Oo Oo" as he has lovingly named his monkey play with trucks, they play baseball, and they like to collect every rock and stick in our backyard. Don't get me wrong this monkey does not have the luxury of attending tea parties and getting his nails done, he still goes through all that typical boy stuff.

I have had to wash mud off of him after he took a trip down the slide. I've had to let him dry after he was promptly given a bubble bath right after he was feed chocolate cake. His face now has a small hole in it where my son and the dog played tug-of-war. I did not see any "winners" there. I ran to the rescue of "Oo Oo" because I feared he would end up a headless monkey or a pile of unreconizalbe stuffing.

Would I let my son play with a doll, absolutely! However, he chooses not to. Before his little brother came into the world I thought I would give him a chance to have his own baby. He looked it over once. Pointed out the eyes, nose, and mouth and promptly through it on the floor. I asked him why he did that to the baby and his answer was "belly." He wanted the baby doll to go in my belly along with his brother. Great, that really eased my fears about bringing a new baby home.

I was not one to play with dolls myself growing up. I cringed every time I opened a Birthday or Christmas gift and there was a Barbie inside. I remember there was this one Barbie with hair down the floor; I immediately cut it all off. Then there was one time after a summer rainstorm where my mom found me outside with my dolls. I had drown Skipper, Barbie's little sister, in a mud hole. All you could see was her tiny little feet sticking out of the top. Barbie was found hanging in a hole that I had created in the screen tent.

Dolls were not my things but stuffed animals were. To this day I am drawn to the stuffed animal isle at any store.

There are many reasons why I feel it is okay for little boys to play with stuffed animals. My son looks at his monkey as his best friend. It is very common for young children to take on an imaginary friend or a stuffed toy as a best friend. I think about all the stuff that he is learning; he is learning how to share, how to converse, and how to be a friend. My son is learning how to be considerate. At two, children often think the world revolves around them. By inviting this little stuffed monkey into his world he is starting to realize that he is not the only one.

More importantly I love the fact that he is learning how to be nurturing. After all perhaps if we let more little boys play with stuffed animals they will grow up to be better prepared fathers. When I take care of his little brother or when I do something that he can relate to he reenacts the scenario with his monkey. After all we can say all the time, "Do as I say not as I do," but kids learn what we do. So give your little boy a stuffed toy; if anything it will teach him a valuable life lesson.