Ballet Boy

My 3 1/2 year old has been dancing around our house for months, he loves walking on his toes and often says he is doing ballet. I enrolled him in a preschool ballet class starting this term. The first week he loved it, so I got him some ballet gear (black) he was so excited until he got to class and saw all the girls in their pink ballet things and felt very different. He now only wants to do ballet if he gets to wear pink. What would you do?

I'm sure its not a cross dressing thing, just a want to be the same as his classmates thing.

Me too

Yeah its a shame pink has become such a girl thing.

I'm just nervous about the other parent's reactions if he wears pink I guess.

Let him wear pink - it would be a shame to have him stop something he loves over a colour.

Well, we're probably a good cross-section of 'other parents', and everyone here seems to agree that pink's fine... so hopefully they'll feel the same way

I think talking to the teacher is a good idea too, thinking why didn't I think of that! Obviously she will have taught other boys and come across this issue before.

I can understand you wondering about what the other parents think but everyone who has commented here thinks its fine and really I would think the parents rather odd if they have a problem with a 3 1/2 year old boy in pink?

To be honest I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I'd like my boy dressed in girls ballet gear but perhaps a pink cardi or slippers or something would be ok but honestly, I don't think I would, my husband would not like it at all.

Does the ballet teacher have some older boys that your DS might be able to come watch at some stage? He might be more comfortable if he see's the "Big Boys" wearing colours other than pink? (Not that I have a problem with little boys wearing pink, I just imagine that you'd rather not spend more money when you've already bought him ballet gear!)

DD1s ballet uniform is blue so it works out okay for the boy in her class. I think its great too that hes doing ballet and enjoying it, the mum in our class said everyone told her not to bring her boy because it 'wasnt for boys' which is stupid!

I teach preschool dancing and I'm going to go against the grain and say don't put him in pink. Because as he goes forward in dancing if he does, then he won't be wearing pink, it's just not the done thing really and I can guarantee you wouldn't get the reaction you'd like from dancing mothers. Some, not all, can be real perfectionists and want everything to be just right and how they expect... perhaps you could get him a t-shirt or something with pink in it, or pink ballet shoes, so he has some element of pink to wear? And also talk to the teacher about ways to encourage him in the class so he doesn't feel too different and feels included no matter what he is wearing? As that is the teacher's job at the end of the day. As much as there shouldn't be gender colours, in my view the fact remains there are, and ideas that go along with them.... and a boy wearing pink at dancing does reinforce certain stereotypes about boys and dancing that you really don't want to buy into nor give other people opportunities to buy into. Im not saying it's right, I'm just saying thats how it is and the dancing world can be pretty superficial sometimes