[MCake]

I agree with all the posts so far, and I can see where you're coming from. Stereotypes are tricky, and phases do pass. When I was 4, I had several "girlfriends" that I apparently courted incessantly, and never in my life have I played with dolls. My folks were in disbelief when I told them I was gay. In fact, my mother *still* likes to remind me of the baffling era when I chased girls around for a kiss. Fact is, we are unpredictable. Imagine, what if your son liked to play with machine guns and knives?

For what it's worth, I used to resent my parents for the stuff they didn't allow me to do or forced me to do, not for the things they let me get away with. I have since realized that they did the very best they could, and love them for it. In the future, if your son were to resent you for letting him play with pink stuff, you can just tell him that he sure seemed to enjoy it

And here is something I wished ALL parents realized: yes, our surroundings and our genetic makeup probably do influence us during our formative years and beyond. But we are also our own individuals. Some people are all too fond of quickly assuming that the characteristics they like in their kids came from them, and that the traits they dislike came from the other parent - how egotistic is that!? The same goes for people who "blame" their unwanted characteristics on their parents.

We are not a predictable half+half product of genes and influences and conditioning. I believe that we were all born with a soul that is individual and ours only, and that it manifests in its own unique way.