I finally gave in and bought Henry a pink, Dora the Explorer shirt. We were at Kmart and I told Henry he could pick out three new shirts. We were in the boy section and he picked out two striped polo shirts and then I brought him to the novelty t-shirt rack and showed him a Spider-Man tank top. He wasn't interested. "I want a Dora shirt", he told me and after a moment of hesitation we cruised over to the girl section.
Henry wore the shirt to bed last night and then, of course, to school today. When I dropped him off I pulled his teacher aside and made her promise to tell me if the other children teased Henry about his shirt. Because OMG just the thought of him being laughed at and having his little Henry feelings hurt is enough to make my heart burst into a million pieces. On my way out the door I heard a little girl say, "Henry why are you wearing a Dora shirt??" I thought, "What the hell is wrong with that chick? Did her idiot parents tell her that Dora was only for girls?" And then I remembered that somehow Henry learned to pick his nose and eat his boogers and I certainly didn't teach him how, so I guess kids just learn some things on their own.
At the end of the day Henry's teacher was happy to report that not only was Henry not teased, his shirt was a huge hit with his friends and possibly even empowering. Apparently one of the older boys from the preschool class ran up to Henry on the playground and said "I love your shirt! Pink is my favorite color!!"
Henry in his Dora shirt with Dora backpack
