Tonight my little guy, a precocious 3, decided that he wanted to dress up like Snow White. It's not the first time that he has decided to play dress up. He's worn pieces of costumes for Tinkerbell, a fireman, Buzz Lightyear, a cowboy, a butterfly and his favorite costume, "naked boy". But today he was dressed to the nines - Dress, tiara, heels and carried a dwarf around with him.
As I walked into the playroom...three or four thoughts ran into each other at the same time. He had on the outfit and his big Buddy smile. I couldn't help but smile back. The second thought was "Quick - get that kid a football and a set of snap on tools!". But that thought came and went quickly and laughed again as he started to twirl around singing "Hi Hooooooooo".
One of the great things about watching my kids is that I get to see how they react to and live in our world without the experience, hang ups, thoughts and ideals that I've accumulated in 35 years. They almost everything with a wide eyed wonder and a giant smile. They ask questions, are eager for answers and explanation, but don't have the capacity to judge on a personal level. He doesn't see it as he is wearing a girls clothes and crossing gender roles. I think he wanted to dress up for a few reasons - even though he may not have known it - 1. It's fun! 2. He thinks that the costume was pretty and he liked it. 3. When he watches Snow White - he identifies Snow White as a friendly, happy person - who he wants to be like.
How many children have their playtime, their games, their exploration of our world pigmented or abstracted by their parents? I'd say probably most of them, at least those that have parents that care enough and are able to take part in their play. I'm glad that I got a chance to see him in the Snow White dress, because it helped me see that I need to let go and experience the our world like my kids do, with wide eyed wonder and a giant smile.
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