Mickey and Minnie

We had a gender related meltdown the other day. Reagan recently got some new PJs. Cool pjs from the Disney Store. (Which I have recently discovered is not owned by Disney, but rather The Children's Place. That nugget of information actually increases my opinion of the clothing, I like The Children's Place stuff.) Reagan's new pjs feature Minnie Mouse, and they are really cute.

The problem began as the family was getting ready for bed, and Tiernan saw Reagan's cool new Minnie Mouse pjs. He wanted cool new Minnie Mouse pjs of his own. We don't have Minnie Mouse pjs for him and this was a problem for him. He was rather insulted that Reagan had something that he didn't. We do, however, have Mickey Mouse pjs for him. That was little consolation. As a result a 20 minute full-blown, naked, crying, screaming, kicking, running, hitting, stomping Tiernan meltdown ensued. He's running around the house naked, crying and yelling, "I want Minnie pjs."

Being the astute parent that I am, I quickly recognized that this meltdown was more the result of being very overtired than the desire to wear girls clothes. I hoped. I really hoped. Look, I like Minnie. She's hot, as far as girl mice go. And the "new Minnie" from Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, has cranked up Minnie's hotness. She has nice little figure. She's cute and funny. She wears that bow in her hair. She looks great in high heels. She is a strong independent female. She can put Mickey, a worldwide cultural icon in his place. She is no bimbo. If you can get past the massive round ears and rodent smell, she's a babe. I can understand Tiernan's attraction, but I don't think the boys has picked up on all the above outlined qualities, I have a feeling he just wants them because Reagan has them.

Which creates the parenting conundrum, can he not have the pjs because they are girls pjs? Are only girls pjs because they are pinkish and have Minnie Mouse on them? He has very similar pjs with Mickey on them, but his are orange. No he can not have Minnie pjs, not because he's boy and Minnie is a girl, but because he already has four pairs of pjs. He is at full pj capacity, and... Minnie pjs are for girls.

As a result, the following conversation took place:
Dad: You can't have Minnie pjs. They are girls pjs.
Tiernan (through tears): But I want them.
Dad: They are for girls.
Tiernan: But Reagan has them.
Dad: Reagan is girl. You are a boy.
Tiernan: But I want them.
Dad: Minnie is for girls. Look she has a bow in her hair and high heels. She is a girl. That is why she is on Reagan's pjs. You have Mickey on your pjs.
Tiernan: But I want them.

Mickey and Minnie are icons of the male and female gender. Mickey is masculine. Minnie is feminine. There are serious connotations that go along with Mickey being a boy and Minnie being a girl. For crying out loud, Mickey and Minnie are slang terms for genitalia. These are powerful mice.

Twenty minutes of crying and screaming and another two hours of analysis, all this because he didn't have an afternoon nap.