Playing with Barbies will make my sons better men. Compassion doesn't diminish strength it amplifies it. How do we expect our sons to grow up and be good husbands and involved fathers (I'm talking a true 50/50 partnership) if we don't let them play pretend domestic life the same way we encourage girls to? I'm not saying that it's impossible to grow up to be this kind of partner without freedom of play, but I definitely think it makes it easier if you start from the beginning. We talk all the tim