Did you know the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles originated in a comic book? They were created as a way to parody 4 popular comics of the 1980’s. Just your interesting fact of the day; you’re welcome.

If you’ve been reading my blog or following any of my social media outlets recently, you know Avery has “turned in” her rolling skills in exchange for crawling. Yes, this means more work for Going Mom and me, but it’s also exciting since it means more playtime during the day!!

We still can’t wrestle or run around the house as I chase her down with the “tickle birds”, but her crawling means that time is coming soon!

Turtles are a big thing in our family, hence Avery’s newborn pic in a turtle crochet as my blog header, and our home has several turtle toys, blankets, and stuffed animals spread throughout. If she grows up hating them, I’ll know we went overboard, but hopefully that’s not the case. Hey, her first encounter with our pet box turtle, Tash, went well, so I’d say things are going in the right direction so far.

As a kid growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were (I think they still are) awesome! Somehow, Nickelodeon has managed to take over the TMNT franchise and have butchered the way they look and act which really pisses me off. Despite this, I stand true to being a Ninja Turtle fan, and hope to impart my “turtle love” on to Avery.

Even as Kelley is trying to sound out “momma” and “papa” for Avery’s first words, I’ll throw in “turtle” for an impartial first word. If she says “turtle” first, there’s no animosity for her saying “mom” or “dad” first; win-win!

Man, if only I kept those original Ninja Turtle action figures from my childhood; the ones in stores now just aren’t the same. Please tell me I’m not alone here. Any other original TMNT fans who are disgusted with what they are now?

Sorry, had to rant a little, back being a parent……kinda.

Another thing I’m looking forward to is building forts with Avery. Another childhood (and parenthood!) must is having a fort to let the imagination run free. When you build a fort, it can be King Arthur’s castle or a space station from the future; both cool things, by the way.

Yesterday I figured I’d try and combine my two hopeful desires by quickly making a fort with her new playpen and a big box along with a Ninja Turtle blanket for the door.

Not much to look at, but it’s perfect for her first fort encounter. Or so I thought….

I sat her down, proud of my turtle themed structure, and watched in anticipation for her to crawl into the fort. And then I waited, and waited a little more; nothing.

“Oh, duh.” I thought, “She doesn’t realize she can crawl through the blanket yet, I’ll just put her in there myself.”

She wasn’t impressed.

I helped her out of the enclosure and continued watching her in hopes that she’d come around and heed my efforts, but her fussing simply increased with each passing moment.

#fortfail

It was right around naptime, so I’m telling myself that’s the only reason for Avery not immediately taking a liking to awesomeness that is what I’m deeming the “Cowabunga Fort”. My efforts shall not be thwarted, and you can rest assured I’ll continue trying. Just like our baby-led weaning experience, I’m sure she’ll catch on and “take a bite” after several attempts.

Kelley is not totally signed on to Avery playing with Ninja Turtles, not because they’re labeled as a boy toy, but because she just doesn’t like them herself. Fine with me, now I have two girls to convince Ninja Turtles are totally tubular, dude!

We both believe toys should not be gender specific, and try hard to surround Avery in a variety of things colored more than just the typical pink. If we had a boy, I’d like to think I would be perfectly fine with him playing with a doll. After all, playing with dolls is not about being a girl, it’s about taking care of another person, about developing social skills, learning body parts, and so much more.

Read more about how beneficial it is for both boys and girls to play with dolls here. I found this link in another blog from the guest poster, Torsten Klaus. The blog is FromaDaddy, and I suggest you check it out as he shares great stories about his life with two children and one wife.

What’s your opinion on gender specific toys?

Were you raised to only play with toys geared towards your gender?

How do you feel about the Ninja Turtles operated under Nickelodeon vs. the orginal?