Gender-creative children? WTF? What will the DFH's think of next?

[scandal 951]

I'd invite you to a drum circle but I wouldn't want to crimp your style.

Charles and I have a date next weekend. We're coming over to your place and dumping Roundup on your lawn.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Charles and I have a date next weekend. We're coming over to your place and dumping Roundup on your lawn.

Great. I'll have to get all my hippie friends to form a body-chain in order to stop the murder of weed.

[Nasturtium 500]

Well written, Tamara. It's good of you to stick up for your beliefs despite the bully crowd that tends to show up on these threads.

Fwiw, I'm not personally into home schooling, but two of my coworkers are home schooling their kids. Neither is a granola eating tree hugger, both are highly functional professionals at a prop trading firm, and their kids are doing just fine - thanks for asking.

I plan to homeschool my kids. Homeschooling has to follow a certain curriculum by the state, and the kids generally score much higher on their exit exams. The advantage is you don't have to have your children engulfed in a sea of idiots and misinformation (anf fyi I've been working in public schools for 2 years now and have met the most... interesting... children and teachers). You can also go above and beyond so much easier. I know my parents let me read scientific journals as a child, and I remember going to the university library and having my dad check out all kinds of things for me in addition to reading their books-- like the Hobbit and LOTR trilogy which I did over 2 weeks one summer at age 7. I mean it was nice. If you could work at your own pace with your children, then you can move on to additional things they may be interested in. I know my parents were nerds, we're nerds, and I am going to do my best to also raise nerds. This is in addition to teaching them about physical education/having them run free/play and be involved in other pursuits. Here elementary children get social studies (history, etc) for 15 minutes twice a week. Science is the same duration and frequency. That is unacceptable to me. In addition, secondary schools are now stopping US history and government here as well. Ridiculous.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

The OP parents seem a strange combination of whack job/abusers to me. Making the choice as parents to force gender neutrality is as off as getting a coronary over your little boy liking Barbie as a favorite toy.

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

This isn't the first kid they are going to ruin.

They have 2 other kids, both "boys". One is 5, and likes to wear pink dresses and put his hair in long pigtails. The other is 2, and is considered a girl.

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/socialstudies/archive/2011/05/25/genderless-baby-political-statement-or-social-experiment.aspx

[Vi-Jay 218]

I'm getting a vision of these kids future.

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

I'm getting a vision of these kids future.

I agree.

[keysjangle 145]

This isn't the first kid they are going to ruin.

They have 2 other kids, both "boys". One is 5, and likes to wear pink dresses and put his hair in long pigtails. The other is 2, and is considered a girl.

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/socialstudies/archive/2011/05/25/genderless-baby-political-statement-or-social-experiment.aspx

It's funny how the parents want their children to have the freedom of choice, but really, they still fall into one gender or another. Honest androgyny is pretty rare for a reason.

Edited May 25, 2011 by Gervl

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It's funny how the parents want their children to have the freedom of choice, but really, they still fall into one gender or another. Honest androgyny is pretty rare for a reason.

Not really. I see a lot of it on both coasts, especially in fashion and in entertainment, and of course, in the LGBT community.

[Golden Gate 530]

I don't know if this is as big a deal as all that. My nephew wanted to be Tinkerbell for Halloween when he was about 4 1/2. His mom bought him the costume, but he changed his mind eventually, maybe after finding out what all his friends were wearing. He also liked to paint his toenails purple, which his parents obliged. He once even wanted to be bald, like his Dad, so he got his head shaved. Later on, he decided it wasn't his thing. I don't think that children experimenting with who they are when they are young is detrimental to their well-being, and I don't believe those parents are trying to make their kids be something they are not. Children will find out for themselves what they like or dislike.

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[Danno 1,228]

I don't know if this is as big a deal as all that. My nephew wanted to be Tinkerbell for Halloween when he was about 4 1/2. His mom bought him the costume, but he changed his mind eventually, maybe after finding out what all his friends were wearing. He also liked to paint his toenails purple, which his parents obliged. He once even wanted to be bald, like his Dad, so he got his head shaved. Later on, he decided it wasn't his thing. I don't think that children experimenting with who they are when they are young is detrimental to their well-being, and I don't believe those parents are trying to make their kids be something they are not. Children will find out for themselves what they like or dislike.

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Did you miss the part where this is all about the parents warped ideas....and not childs?

[faust-yusov 103]

That's a presumption manufactured by your incredulity, Danno.

[Nasturtium 500]

I don't know if this is as big a deal as all that. My nephew wanted to be Tinkerbell for Halloween when he was about 4 1/2. His mom bought him the costume, but he changed his mind eventually, maybe after finding out what all his friends were wearing. He also liked to paint his toenails purple, which his parents obliged. He once even wanted to be bald, like his Dad, so he got his head shaved. Later on, he decided it wasn't his thing. I don't think that children experimenting with who they are when they are young is detrimental to their well-being, and I don't believe those parents are trying to make their kids be something they are not. Children will find out for themselves what they like or dislike.

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I wanted to be an Indian (NA) boy when I grew up-- that was my first thing I decided on. I aimed high-- to change both my gender and sex as well as my race.

[Golden Gate 530]

Did you miss the part where this is all about the parents warped ideas....and not childs?

No, I didn't miss it at all. I don't think the parents are making the children act or look like girls. I think they are trying to make a statement that they want their children to express themselves freely without imposing gender-based biases on them. Perhaps they are a bit over the top about it, but these children are still 5 and under. They are at an experimental age. I think people here are flipping out over nothing. The children will grow up and form their own identities and their own opinions about their parents. The parents of my nephew had some of these same ideas, maybe not as extreme as not saying the gender of their baby, but keeping it open to the children as to what was acceptable 'girl' and 'boy' behavior, and my nephews are two of the coolest children I have ever met. Totally non-judgmental children and a pleasure to be around.

[Danno 1,228]

I wanted to be an Indian (NA) boy when I grew up-- that was my first thing I decided on. I aimed high-- to change both my gender and sex as well as my race.

Hey there's an idea.

SInce we can decide what gender we are by how we feel inside..... why not allow kids to choose for them self.... what race they are too?

There have been Moments even Danno felt like a Black man.