Well, we survived it! Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just about over.

With all this gift buying and being so close to Christmas we may be stumped for what to give our kids. Ever improving, I am always looking to grow as a parent and this year perhaps we can think about giving wisely.

Here are a few gender busting commercials that will make you think before sticking a Barbie or Tonka truck under the tree and actually be insightful about your kids individuality.

#1 ALWAYS #LikeAGirl Commercial

Good job ALWAYS! I first saw this commercial on Facebook. I absolutely love the re-definition of doing things like a girl. In the words of Betty White, we don’t need to “grow some balls, ….grow a vagina, those things can take a pounding!” Too far? Ok, point is, girls are both tough and feminine and do not need to surrender one for the other.

#2 TIDE Stay At Home Dad Commercial

Slow clap for TIDE…. now more than ever I see my male friends who are fathers take charge with duties that have been assigned to females for years. Cheers to the small victories such as laundry. Next I want to see a man in all his commercialized glory hold up a dish in the kitchen window light and check for spots. Now that is sexy.

#3 PANTENE No Labels Commercial

If PANTENE’S message doesn’t infiltrate, I’m afraid the soundtrack to this commercial will. Dare I say it may even tug on your emotions and make you aware of the times you said sorry for just being you. This commercial particularly resonated with me. If you want to know why, send me a message. As a mother of four,  I have a lot to say on this one but alas, not on this platform.

#4 VERIZON #InspireHerMind Commercial

High five VERIZON! This one made me choke up at all the times I felt stumbled growing up but also proceeded to not break the chain of stumbling with my own kids. Don’t worry though, I did something right because no matter how much I tried to force Barbies on my first born, she wasn’t having it and well, let’s just say my son loved incorporating Brats dolls into his dialogue when playing with his sister.

#5 AUDI “Let’s Change the Game” Commercial

AUDI gets it right with this superb visual Pixar-esque animated story. A light-hearted crossover of gender roles are the theme throughout this commercial. Change the game indeed.

Ultimately, I appreciate the thought provoking themes in these commercials. After all, these big brands don’t need to address social issues while trying to sell their products… but they did. As parents we do not need to address social issues when raising our children but we absolutely should.

So let’s be an example to our children and peel away at the labels. Let’s #ShineStrong, #InspireHerMind and #DoItLikeAGirl so we can finally #ChangeTheGame.