Arts, not guns

My three-year-old daughter came home from her Montessori daycare with a beautiful poem from her teacher about how this holiday consider buying your children gifts that inspire peace and creativity instead of violence. I thought this was very meaningful. So often adults fall into the habit of purchasing gendered toys for their children - dolls and kitchen sets for girls and guns and army-type items for boys. This practice has always disturbed me. I have always tried to buy interactive, creative materials for my children that hopefully inspire them to explore the world around them (e.g., books, building sets like blocks and legos, games) but each holiday someone buys them something that I wouldn't buy myself. I like to expose my children to different cultures, experiences, and ideas that show them there are many ways of looking and 'being' in the world.