This Christmas, I bought my nephew a toy garbage truck and my niece a xylophone school bus that also has shapes that she can insert. I didn't buy my nephew a toy garbage truck because I thought little boys should play with them but because he likes garbage trucks. My niece, while seemingly cisgender, is not interested in playing with dolls and neither was her mother.

I grew up with the stereotypes and it took me until my 20s to have the courage to say to my parents that I was not comfortable with numerous gender norms. Some of the books I read are possibly geared towards women or gender-neutral people and I remember my father saying that if I went into a pub and asked for a cider, I would get some truck driver in a blue singlet who'd make a homophobic remark and if I went into the private bar, a man with a gold earring and a short haircut with a sparkly mauve shirt would put a hand on my arm and say, "How are you?" and try to chat me up.

As an adult, I'm more comfortable with gender neutral things and can express it.