The Pink Helmet

Today we went down to the bike store to purchase a helmet for Boy.

When I told him earlier this week we needed to go and get a helmet he said

" Yes, I want a pink one. A pink helmet."

Later, he said he wanted an orange one.

Today when we arrived and made our way down to the back wall there wasn't a question in his mind.

He wanted the pink one.

So we got him the pink one. Because pink is his favourite colour right now. Because to Boy and every other three year old in the world. Pink is just another colour. Like orange.

It's not gender specific, it's not girly. It's a nice colour.

More importantly, the only people who will have issue with the colour of his helmet are inevitably the adults in his life, or the children who have been taught by those adults that pink is just for girls.

And you know when I type 'pink is for girls' all I hear in my head is the leering of someone who is implying that liking girly things is a negative.

Like if a boy wants to dance or sew or play with a baby doll he's girly and that's bad.

Or if a girl wants to jump or wrestle or fight she's a tomboy and that's bad too.

So what I really want to say. What I really want to model to my son. Is that everyone EVERYONE is different.

Some people like black. Some people like blue. Others like orange and some like pink too.

It's O.K to be different and its O.K to like the same things.

But what's isn't O.K is leering or jeering at someone because they like something that is different from what you like.

It's O.K not to like what someone else likes.

What isn't O.K is not accepting others for liking blue, having blue eyes or wearing blue shoes just because you don't like those things.

Because the world is a rainbow. And a rainbow is just as beautiful as a small Boy wearing a pink helmet in a park near you.