Should I buy my 4-year-old son pink shoes?

Susan_Frost

Yeah, just go for it.

He's only four, so if it turns out to be a bad idea, it does not matter. He will have grown out of them in four months anyway.

meeps

my son wanted a pink flowery car seat when we were looking which one to get him. I think I would have been ok with that if it didn't last until he is 11..

SammyD_2

Yes, let him have them...the day will come when he will end up subjected to social conditioning and not want pink shoes anymore. My son chose a duvet cover which was pink with a fluffy kitten on it when he was three - I let him have it - pink is just a colour.

ladybirdintheuk

Why not - he's only wee, and will grow out of them soon enough anyhow It might be worth getting him some pink (or with bits of pink on) trainers fairly cheap, and making sure he has some not-pink shoes too, so he has the choice if he does change his mind about them before he grows out of them?

Krystaltips

I can't believe so many people on here are telling you if you buy your child his own choice of shoes he will get bullied, what utter nonsense! If he was older maybe 6 or 7 then yeah other children might make comment on it... But 4? Most of the other boys his age would probably want pink shoes too! Its a pretty common thing, 2 little boys my daughter plays with will always choose the pink cup and the pink plates...

He's only going to be a little boy for a short while, if he spends 6 months of that short while wearing pink shoes then where's the harm?

And incidentally for all those nay sayers... I wouldn't let my daughter go to school in pink shoes either, the uniform guidelines state black, black is what she wears... We save the pink shoes for outside school so why would it be any different for a little boy?

vickiem30

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

And what happens when he has a tantrum one morning and refuses to go to school unless he gets to wear his pink shoes? Or he tells his friends at school and gets teased for it?

He's a boy for heaven's sake, why on earth would you buy him pink shoes? It's traditionally a girls colour and he is a boy. Different is he wants to paint all his pictures in pink or have pink icing on his cakes but you are talking about buying a little boy some girls clothing...are you mad?!!

Geek time now!

Pink had only been associated with girls since about the 20s. Originally pink was for boys, because it is a dilution of red which was seen as a strong colour and too overpowering for girls.

Let him wear what he wants, don't stifle individualism.

kerleytops

we still cherish a photo of our then 3 year old son wearing his pink wellies which he insisted on having. He's now 21 and in denial! Also over 6 feet tall and been in a relationship with a girl for 4 years.
Any bullying a 4 year old gets surely comes from other children's parent's comments.

shellsuit

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

And what happens when he has a tantrum one morning and refuses to go to school unless he gets to wear his pink shoes? Or he tells his friends at school and gets teased for it?

He's a boy for heaven's sake, why on earth would you buy him pink shoes? It's traditionally a girls colour and he is a boy. Different is he wants to paint all his pictures in pink or have pink icing on his cakes but you are talking about buying a little boy some girls clothing...are you mad?!!

For Gods sake, it's just a colour.

Who cares what people think? If other kids were to tease him, where would they get it from that pink is wrong? Their ignorant parents!

I'm sick of people who make others think they are wrong or bad or odd, for how they look.

OP, I'd get him the shoes, he won't be able to wear them to school anyway will he (I'm assuming he's in reception?), so they will only be for out of school play.

Lunar_Eclipse

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

It's traditionally a girls colour and he is a boy.

Pink is historically a male colour, being a watered down red. It is a relatively new thing that pink is considered a girls colour. Furthermore this is not the case throughout Asia.

I would buy him pink shoes, but not an obviously girly pair of shoes. Something like a pair of pink kickers. Or trainers/boots with a dash of pink. Or even just pink laces as a compromise.

This really isn't a big deal. Do what you think is best. Personally I cannot see the harm in buying him pink shoes. If he gets teased, you can gently let him know that you think it's fine that he wears them, but also that English society considers it quite a feminine colour.

In our hearts of hearts as parents, I am quite sure that whilst we don't want our children to suffer the pain of teasing or being different, the majority of us don't really want to raise sheep either.;)

Lunar_Eclipse

shellsuit wrote: »

Who cares what people think? If other kids were to tease him, where would they get it from that pink is wrong? Their ignorant parents!

Exactly. And the irony of which is that it is ignorant parents that often wish they could be different.:rolleyes:

Live and let live folks. The thread is about pink shoes. I think sometimes we let our imaginations run away with us and start thinking of such things as a slippery slope and wondering where you draw the line etc etc. But it's important to keep perspective, especially since this case involves a 4 year old.