Attention Seekers or Sincere?

[Digit]

A couple in Canada go on the media circuit to tell everyone they won't tell anyone whether their youngest child is a boy or a girl. Whatever the case, I don't think this will do the kid a whole lot of good.

[NerdGirl]

We've been talking about that on the Canadian pre-med board I go on for a few days, and I think my conclusions is that they are trying to prove that biological sex shouldn't be a big deal by keeping it a secret, thus making it a bigger deal than it was in the first place, which seems to negate what they are trying to do. They're trying not to force their child into a particular gender role, which I think is fine, but at the same time they're turning the child into a big news story and an experiment, which in a way seems like forcing the child into an entirely different role, and seems inconsistent with the spirit of what they think they are going to accomplish. If you want your kids to not be restricted by traditional gender roles, I think that a better way to do it is to acknowledge that they are in fact male or female, and be honest about the fact that society sometimes says males or females must do certain things or behave in certain ways but let them know that you do not agree with those ideas and that it is okay for them to play with whatever toys they want to or do whatever activities they like or whatever else and they they shouldn't worry about whether the things they like are "boy things" or "girl things".

This is the original article, which has lots of pictures:
http://www.thestar.com/article/995112

And there was a couple in Sweden doing the same thing a couple of years ago:
http://www.thelocal.se/20232/20090623/#
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009 ... er-secret/

[Dragon Lady]

I agree. I read a blog of a lady who doesn't believe in gender norms, so she makes dolls and pink clothes available to her son, but she also makes trucks and blue clothes available and simply lets him choose. If he chooses to play cops and robbers with his dolls, so be it. If he ends up being nurturing while wearing blue clothes, great. She gives him options and lets him do whatever he wants with it.

[chillygator]

Did anyone else read that with, "Maybe I should be more like you when it comes to parenting. No borders. No limits. 'Go ahead, touch the Cornballer. You know best.'" running through their head?

[wired]

"Take my daughter, for example. She lives her life, and I get the pleasure of guessing what that might entail."

But, I guess Tobias shouldn't have even told her she was a "daughter."

[Marduk]

Chilly, I don't get that reference. I'm sorry.

[Katya]

Chilly, I don't get that reference. I'm sorry.

Arrested Development