Childhood and Parenting in Children's Popular Culture and Childcare Magazines

I really enjoyed this text because I think it describes perfectly how society actually is. Luke talks about how girls and boys, at a very young age, are separated. The toys in a store (specifically Toys R Us) are placed in a strategic manner, so that the girls have to walk through all the boy toys before getting to their section. He gave an example about water guns, which really got me thinking. The boys water guns are shaped like actual hand guns, in metallic or primary colors. The girls water guns were shaped like lip sticks, compacts, or nail polish bottles, in different pinks and purples. All the boy toys were "high-tech" and the girl ones were kitchen appliances, ironing boards, and dolls. Another aspect he spoke about was how magazines affected a parents outlook on childhood. The articles in these magazines were very short, not written by professionals, and usually had a lot of advertising in them. Often first-time mothers will read these magazines and books like they have all the answers. Another interesting fact about these magazines is that they all revolved around women, and never spoke of fatherhood. I found this article very interesting because I had never really paid attention to the whole toys issue, but now the more I think about it, the more it makes total sense.