California is making its toy stores gender neutral and I think it’s time Ireland did

There really is no need for gender specific toys.

When my son was around two-years-old we were in a toy shop when he spotted a My Little Pony toy on the shelf. He immediately became enamored with it so we headed to the check out with it. That's when things went from a nice day out to not so nice day out. The cashier looked at me like I was insane when she saw it was a little boy I was buying the pony for and proceeded to tut and roll her eyes the entire time she was dealing with us. It was so ridiculous and unnecessary. It's just a toy. It's a little toy horse. Small children love toy animals so why does it matter if the toy is aimed at boys or girls? Right now my daughter is two-years-old and loves playing with fire trucks and Buzz Lightyear. She'd much rather have a dinosaur on her backpack than a ballerina. Should that matter, of course not, the same way it shouldn't matter if a grown woman wants to wear trousers and a man wants to have a facial. At one point things were very gender segregated but times have changed so why are we still buying toys for children from separate sections. The state of California recently decided that this was an outdated concept so is it time that Ireland did the same? Assembly Bill 2826, by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, will do away with separate toy aisles for boys and girls by requiring that children’s products be offered in a single, gender neutral section, according to Low’s office. The proposed bill will also affect other children's stores including children's clothing stores. I think in this day and age there is no need to have things sectioned off into boys and girls. If a little girl wants a Barbie or a little boy wants a truck they'll still be able to buy those things but girls wanting construction sets and boys wanting prams won't have to feel so out of place picking out the toys that they love.