I can't be a taxi driver because I'm a girl.

That statement from her daughter spurred Sally Dear into action and she left her corporate role to start up Ducky Zebra, a children's clothing brand created to break down gender stereotypes.  Her daughter, having seen mainly male taxi drivers, assumed this meant she couldn't be one.  A limiting belief set in childhood which could influence so much of her later life.

When I posted about this episode of The Parent Equation on LinkedIn this week, I realised how many of our children are seeing, and more importantly, challenging these stereotypes.

My 7 year old, dinosaur obsessed (real dinosaurs, not sparkly ones), aghast because all the dino tops were in the boys section of a mainstream shop.  Her words, "why can't all the clothes just be together."

Another example of someone's son asking why Hansel had to rescue Gretel from the witch and why couldn't she rescue herself.  And another, with a daughter asking why all the animals in Dear Zoo are boys.

So it goes without saying that Sally's mission is one I fully support, along with her desire to be sustainable and ethical.  I wish there had been more of this when my two were little.

I was then contacted by Sarah Green, who runs Borro, a baby clothes rental service, another much-needed service and definitely worth checking out.