10/03/2023
Hi! It's me, Mika!
I guess some of you already know me as the other half of Mikalaro.
Because we are celebrating Women's Month this March, I thought it would be a good time to talk to the little girls and their mommies.
This might also be a good chance for us to know a little bit about each other.
Chika muna tayo.
I'll begin with a little story--kung paano nagkaron ng Mikalaro.
Nung bata ako, favorite ko talaga ang mga kotse-kotsehan. I collected those metal cast Matchbox cars...those heavy, clunky pull-back ones.
Ang pinaka-favorite ko sa lahat ay yung red. It was a shiny 2 door sedan. Yun ang pinakamabilis sa lahat ng kotse-kotsehan ko.
One particular Christmas, when my cousins went to visit and play, one of my boy cousins told me "Akin na lang to. Di ka pwede maglaro ng kotse kasi babae ka."
As a 6 year old, I questioned why girls couldn't play with cars. Barbie at lutu-lutuan lang ba ang pwede?
Sinong may sabi? Who made the rules?
Fast forward to when I was teaching preschool, I would often see parents frowning when their little girls played with trucks or when their little boys played with kitchen sets.
Siyempre bilang teacher, iniexplain ko sa mga parents na wala namang masama sa pretend play.
Let kids be kids.
Ano ba naman nga ang masama kung gustong mag-drive ng truck ni Patricia? Masama din ba kung gustong mag-luto at mag-bake ni Gelo?
Kaya nung inumpisahan namin ang Mikalaro, sinikap namin na i-promote ang gender-less play and books.
Fairy tales are not just for girls.
Space and dinosaurs are not just for boys.
Mahirap siya i-promote ha! Mahirap i-break ang culture. Madami pa ding "bawal" or "hindi pwede" lalo na para sa mga girls.
Kaya naman we're always on the look out for mommy influencers who share our advocacy and values.
Importante kasi to have partners who believe in you and what you are pushing for.
Kaya mommies, if you believe in letting your kids be kids, and you think that genderless play is something you believe in, comment naman kayo ng 🌸.
Then send us a DM. Usap tayo about possible collabs!