There's been a lot of talk lately about gender specific toys and the roll they play in child development. This past weekend, I was out with my two-year-old daughter. She carries a baby doll with her pretty much everywhere she goes. Although she will play with Legos and blocks, her heart lies with her babies whom she spends day and night feeding, burping, loving on and caring for.

She reluctantly set her baby down when she went inside a bouncy house at a local fall farm yard. A little boy nearby wanted to pick up the doll and play with it. His father corrected him, "You are a boy; you can't play with dolls." My heart sunk a little bit. I think it's okay for little boys to cuddle a doll that resembles a human being. Furthermore, our society is constantly changing men are now doing more and more to care for real human babies so why would this dad or any dad thwart his son from playful "practice"?

I posed the question on Facebook and all the moms jumped on board with exactly what I was thinking but one dad brought up a possible underlying issue. He explained that most dads are wired to want their boy to play with boy toys so there is no chance their son would exhibit feminine characteristics. And, as we all know, it is considered degrading for a male to be associated with female characteristics. We socially outlaw racial slants but saying things like "Don't be such a girl," are thrown around on the daily. Oh, and you can replace "girl" with lots of feminine nouns.

So, what do you think about all this? If you are a parent, are you okay with letting your child play with toys designed for the opposite gender? Let us know!

More From WOMI-AM