No Such Thing As Boys or Girls At Genderless Preschool

Does your little girl like to play with trucks? Is your preschool aged son more interested in helping you around the house than playing outside in the dirt? A lot of  parents these days reject traditional gender roles for their kids, buying trucks and trains for girls and encouraging boys to explore toy kitchens. In fact, remember when I told you about the family who has decided to raise a "genderless child"? But is there such a thing as too far ?  A Swedish preschool might be about to find out. The Egalia Preschool in Stockholm is rejecting gender identity altogether, and do not refer to kids as either “him” or “her”, as well as using toys, books and learning materials that are not gender specific. Traditional kid’s stories like “Snow White” and “Cinderella” are banished from the school’s bookshelves.  But what if your daughter really does love dolls and your son is a huge sports buff? Is a “girly” passion for pink or a boy’s seeming ability to create a toy sword out of any object the result of you pushing your gender roles on them – or a normal part of child development?

Several commenters on the story on Yahoo! were less than convinced about the gender-neutral preschool idea, with one mom saying,  “What is wrong with identifying with your gender & being proud of it? As hard as people may try to blur gender lines, our gender is part of what makes us who and what we are & it's a good thing.”

Also of note is that the dolls at the Egalia School are anatomically correct, though Barbie is not welcome there because of her exaggerated features . The school also boasts a long waiting list. Would your kid be on that waiting list? Is this a good approach to pre-school?