The Power of Purple and Green - The Rising Popularity of Gender Neutral Gifts and Decorations

Way back when, pink was considered a �masculine, strong and prominent� colour and was used for boys, blue was a �gentle, muted and creative� colour and was reserved for girls. Over the past 50 years, these representations have been reversed somewhat and nowadays pink is more �girly� whereas blue is often more �boyish�. However when it comes to giving gifts, it can put people in a bit of a rut.

�Will he like this? It�s a little pink? Does she like blue dresses? It�s a bit masculine�for a dress� 

Gifts that are a particular colour can often be misconstrued as for boys or for girls and when dealing with a child, with an individual, this can be a one way ticket to the title of �bad gift giver�. If your recipient doesn�t like flowers or prefers butterflies to bats, they could get pretty upset if you give them something they � in essence � don�t really want.

That is where gender neutral gifts and decorations come in really handy. To use a few examples, both purple and green are considered gender neutral colours as they contain some aspects of both masculinity and femininity. They are safe colours and don�t make a lot of assumptions about the child�s perceived hobbies and interests based on whether they are a boy or a girl. Can decorations and gifts affect children in such a massive way? You would be surprised. 

Reduced Stress on Kids

Some girls love Barbie dolls and getting their nails painted, some boys also have an interest in looking nice or getting their nails painted. Some boys like tinkering with cars and building tree-houses, some girls also prefer a mud pie to a pink cupcake. Some kids don�t care about what others thing of them, but when they are pressured into a certain colour, it can cause unnecessary stress and doubt.

With gender neutral gifts, this helps put less pressure on those children whose interests deviate from the current social norm. They are able to appreciate the gift at its basest level without worrying if it is too �manly� or �girly�.

Perfect for Baby Showers

When a friend or relative is expecting a baby, there are countless gifts you can give to help them along the way during the first few months. Baby clothes are always desperately needed because of the intense amount of growing children tend to do after they exit the womb. This is where gender neutral gifts and clothing becomes infinitely useful, as you don�t even have to know the gender of the baby before you start buying gifts and clothing in preparation for the birth.

Some Children are Vocal, Others are Not

Some kids know exactly what they want, when they want it. These ones are easy to buy gifts for; they spend half their time exclaiming loudly what they like and what they are fond of. Other kids are less vocal about what their likes and interests are, so it can be a bit difficult to decide on a fitting gift.

This is where gender neutral gifts can also help as it prevents you from creating a potential disaster with an unwanted gift, as well as opening the child up to a new hobby or interest that they might not have tried before. By playing it safe with gender neutral gifts, you can help children become creative and open minded individuals who aren�t afraid to think outside the box.

Remember, At the End of the Day it is Their Choice

There has been a lot of controversy in the news over the past couple of years about gender specific toys and the harms of raising children or pushing children to act a certain way. At the end of the day, it is important to allow your child the right to choose what they want as a gift. It is no use pushing a child towards a certain interest or hobby, as a parent, if it is not something that they have any genuine interest in, and it will ultimately just make your child miserable.

Stay open minded about the choices your child makes, but don�t try to sway their decision either way. Children know what they like and they know what will make them happy, so long as they are in a safe and sane environment and they are not garnering any bad habits, let them have their time to explore and find their own interests in life. It is a part of creating unique children who will make a big difference on the world, in a good way.

Article provided by My Party Monster, the perfect online party superstore with over 10,000 props, costumes and goodies to make any celebration a magnificent and memorable party.

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