Kianey Carter: All boy toys

Trains, trucks, construction vehicles and farms. These are a few of my son's favorite things. I love that he loves all of these things. They're so boyish.

Wait, did I say that? Yep, I did and I am so ashamed. Let me explain. I like to think that I don't stereotype people and put them in categories based on their appearance. I want to base my opinions about people on my experiences with them.

When my husband and I found out we were having a boy, I tried my best to make sure I bought things for him that I would have bought for a girl as well. I made sure his wardrobe was filled with all kinds of colors. I bought stuffed animals in every color. He got blankets, towels and pajamas with a variety of themes. As he's gotten older, I didn't push typical boy things in his direction. I wanted to make sure he played with all kinds of toys, games and people so he had a well-rounded experience.

The recent news of Target doing away with gender categories really got me to thinking about the types of toys I buy. Lately, all I've bought are trains, trucks and cars. Yes, he loves them. And I want to buy him things he likes. But I never thought I would buy so many boyish things. His books have to deal with trains, trucks, baseball and farm animals.

This is not to say girls don't like these things but they are typically associated with boys. So here I am, the mother of a boy who loves to play in the dirt with his toy bulldozer. As he enters his third year of life, I hope to expose him to other things. Music, dance, theater.

I want to continue to grow a well developed and rounded human being. For now, I will get down in the mud and dirt and build ramps for his trucks to jump and show him that mommy loves him and loves to play with him. I mean, that's the most important thing, right?